Sins of the Father
by Lashana Inferno
Summary: On the run from an abusive father, Cassie and Alex stumble their way into the depths of Manhattan, and into the protection of a certain Clan of saviours. When their father starts looking for them, how far will one sister go to protect those she cares for?
1. Prologue

Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away.

Summary:On the run from an abusive father who is so much more than he seems, Cassandra and Alexis stumble their way into the depths of Manhattan, and right into the protection of a certain Clan of saviours. Struggling with their own nightmares and physical and emotional wounds, the sisters aren't prepared for what happens when their father starts going to great lengths to drag them sisters back into his clutches. And when their darkest hour comes, how far will one sister go to protect those she cares for?

****

Sins of the Father

****

Prologue

"Cassie? Cassie, wake up!"

The worried whispers tugged at her consciousness, forcing her mind into a state of awareness that she really didn't want to be in. Her body took that moment to remind her that it wasn't all too fond of her treatment of it - although in all truth it hadn't been she that had been wielding the belt. 

"_Cassie!_"

"....Alex?" She grimaced at the sound of her own voice, a low rasping gurgle that she barely recognised. Mustering what little strength she had, she slowly forced her eyes open, blinking up into the dimness of her room for a moment before stiffly turning her head to look at her little sister, frowning when she saw a thin line of blood trailing down her cheek. 

Pushing her own pain aside, Cassie somehow convinced her body to listen to her again and rose her right hand into her sister's tangled dark auburn hair, sighing softly as she pushed the long bangs aside and looked at the shallow cut there. "How long?" she croaked out, forcing a smile when Alex's tears trickled onto her hand. "Shh... S'alright. How long?"

"Y-you've been out.... a-almost three h-hours," Alex hiccupped, trying to stay as quiet as she could despite the fact that she couldn't hold in her tears any longer. "H-He locked us in here. And he didn't give us supper."

She closed her eyes at that and cursed softly, knowing now that they had no other choice. They couldn't stay here any longer. Another beating like this one, and she'd be well on her way to dying. "Help me up."

Sniffling, Alex shoved her bangs out of her eyes and carefully slipped her older sister's arm around her shoulders, hearing Cassie hiss in pain as she staggered to her feet. "You're b-bleeding."

"I know. It's alright." A quick gasp from her sibling made her look down, and she scowled when she saw her sister clutching her blue inhaler close to herself. Knowing that physical activity would only make things worse, Cassie pushed away from her and stumbled towards the window of their room, ignoring the fresh blood stain amongst dozens of older ones on the polished wooden floor.

Her hands gripped the windowsill for support as she glared at the iron bars that added to their prison, the pain that was plaguing her only adding to her anger. It hadn't always been like this, she was fairly certain that her few memories of being happy when she was younger weren't false - although she wouldn't stake her life on it. It wasn't until she had hit her fourteenth birthday that the nightmare had started. The beatings, the pain.... things so horrible that it made her stomach retch at the mere memory of them.

Outsiders to their family saw their father as a proud, loving, family man. A man of wealth, of power. She, and her sister knew him as a monster. The bringer of pain. One who enjoyed seeing people weaker than himself scream in agony, even if those people were his own children. It was an evil in him that always enjoyed being released, a cold, uncaring, soulless _thing_ that had made him the brunt of their hatred. Their mother shared their fate, although not as much since they had been born. Though there were still many nights where Cassie had lain awake in her bed, holding her terrified sister close while they listened to the screams of pain from their parents bedroom.

It didn't help that the facade the world saw - the warm, friendly, charitable owner of a near-monopoly of marketing firms - was only a cover for his inner dealings. What better place for one of the most powerful organised crime lords to hide, than in the open?

It was only for her sister, for Alexis, that she had taken the beatings and the pain, hoping to keep her little sister safe from this hell. But for all her efforts, it had all been in vain. Alex had turned fourteen.... and he had come for her. Cassie remembered Alex's fourteenth birthday well. It had been the same day that she had vowed to both herself and her terrified sister that she would never allow their father to harm her, or to touch her as he had done to her. It had been the day she had fought back - and paid for it dearly. 

She had spent two long weeks recovering from that beating, the only thing keeping her alive was the promise she had made to Alex... and the knowledge that their father hadn't gotten his way with her beloved little sister.

And now, three days before Alexis' fifteenth birthday, she'd had enough. "Alex. Get your bag." She'd been working on this for weeks now, working at unscrewing the bolts around the iron that barred the window she was standing at. True, the last time she had tried to run away, he had sent his goons to drag her back to the house, where he had proceeded to nearly beat her to death. She still wore the scars from that episode. But this time would be different. This time, she refused to get caught. _No more._

The sound of deep wracking coughs snatched her attention, and she turned to watch as Alex's body shuddered from the force of them, and Cassie bit her bottom lip with worry as her sister rose her inhaler to her lips and took in another dose of medication. This was the other reason that they had to escape. She knew her little sister had asthma, she remembered being there with her when the doctors had run the tests on her. But this wasn't even close to what normally plagued her. In the past week, Alex had been getting rapidly weaker, constantly fighting for breath even through her strength was leaving her faster than she could restore it. She was pale, always tired, always coughing, and Cassie knew that her little sister had been upping the doses of her medication in a bid to try to hide her sickness.

"Cassie...." Another rough of coughs wracked the small form. "Cassie, I don't feel so good...."

Dammit. "Okay, hang tight," she murmured reassuringly as she pushed away from the windowsill and went to rummage around her few items of clothes that weren't blood stained or filthy. Her back screamed in pain as she tore off her ruined t-shirt, knowing that the belt he had taken to her had sliced deep into her flesh, but she ignored the pain and the sensation of blood trickling down the small of her back, letting her determination override anything else. "You dress warm now, Alex."

"'Kay."

Hiding a grimace, she pulled a fresh black tank-top over herself, not daring to change her sportsbra in the fear that she might not have been able to stand the pain of it. Wanting to cushion her wounds for what she was planning, she wriggled into a older tee shirt, then pulled on her worn leather jacket. A quick glance down at herself gifted her with a disgusting view of her jeans, and she shook her head sadly as she stripped out of the ruined pants and quickly pulled on a fresh black pair. 

A tired sniffle from behind her made her look at Alex, and she smiled a little as she took in her sister's outfit of ragged blue jeans, black and white sneakers and an oversized jean jacket over her Backstreet Boys long-sleeved shirt. "You look stunning, dahling," she smirked, eliciting a soft giggle that lightened her melancholy spirits. _We can do this. **I** can do this._

Not wasting another moment, she pulled on her worn out sneakers and reached out to shove the window open, taking a quick look around to make sure no one could see her before shoving at the bars, leaving them to fall from their window to land in a strategically placed pile of leaves next to the tall maple that stood nearby. _And people say that yardwork is stupid. Ha!_

"Alright, Alex. You remember what I told you, hmm? I'll go out first, then you come out and I'll carry you the rest of the way, alright?" Cassie felt a breeze come through the open window, the fresh air playing with her shoulder length reddish-brown hair, and she mustered up an encouraging smile as she looked at her sister, noting her fear. "Lookit me, kiddo. I have never let you down before, and I'm not gonna start now, okay?"

Alex shivered a little as she gazed out the open and now bar-less window, a part of her terrified of what their father would do to them if he caught them, the other screaming at her to reach out and take the freedom being offered. Her sister's voice made her look up to meet her dark green gaze, and she felt a burst of warmth fill her heart when Cassie reaffirmed that she'd never leave her behind. "Okay."

"That's my 'lil sis," Cassie beamed, taking a moment to playfully ruffle her sister's hair before levering herself onto the windowsill and leaning out, reaching for the nearby tree branch. _Ooo, stretching bloody hurts!!_ Gritting her teeth at the agony in her back, Cassie leaned out as far as she dared, her questing fingers brushing against - and finally gripping - the reassuring limb of the tree. 

Figuring that it was twisted fate that had made her constantly work out to try to learn new ways to defend both herself and Alex from her father, she easily pulled herself into the comforting mess of branches, then turned to hold her hand out to her waiting sister. "C'mon! Don't look down, just reach for me and... and think about how good it'll be to get far, far away from here. C'mon, sis!"

Alex frowned and picked up the backpack that lay at her feet, slipping her arms through the straps before hesitantly approaching the window, her gaze fixed on her older sister. True, there was only three years between them, yet they were so different. She knew she didn't have Cassie's strength, or her fighting spirit. Whenever her father came all she could do was cower and try to hide in a place where he couldn't reach her - unlike Cassie, who usually cussed him out and threw things at him. Alex knew what Cassie had sacrificed for her, knew that without her sister there she'd have probably had a fate worse than death. "What about, mom, Cassie? We can't just leave her here!"

"As soon as I get you somewhere safe, I'll come back for her!" Cassie whispered, knowing that the dimness of autumn dusk was only going to be able to hide them for so long. Sooner or later, someone would spot them. "Alex, _please._ We have to go!" 

Something in her voice spurred her little sister onwards, and Cassie heaved a sigh of relief as she reached out and pulled her sister into her arms, her brow creasing when she felt how slim Alex was. _Ye gods, she's as thin as a stick! I hadn't noticed...._ Shaking herself a little to return her thoughts to the present, Cassie turned around, sinking her teeth into her lower lip when Alex obediently climbed onto her back. _Aw shit... that hurts... push it aside, Cassie, push it aside. You can pass out later, right now you have to run! If he catches us this time neither of us will survive!_

Alex shivered and buried her face into her sister's hair as Cassie slowly made her way down the tree, and she fought back the urge to cough, knowing that they had to be quiet. As soon as they hit the ground, she wrapped her arms and legs around her sister, clinging to her like a newborn koala to it's mother as her older sister broke out into a full run, making a wild dash for the main gates.

Shouting broke out behind them then, and Cassie nearly hiccupped with fear as she glanced back and saw three of her father's henchmen bolting towards them, the sight boosting her adrenaline to it's maximum as she put on a burst of speed, racing for the spot just to the left of the main entrance of the estate, where a part of the chain-linked fence was hidden behind a large bush. It was there that she had found a rusted hole, a chink in her fathers tight security, an opening that led to the outside world, and perhaps freedom.

She nearly ran headlong into it, barely bothering to slow down as she swung Alex off of her back and propelled her through the opening, a part of her wishing that she was as small as her sister as she wriggled herself through the small hole, crying out when a hand closed on her ankle.

"Well, well. Is the canary tryin' ta fly the coop again?"

"Ricardo," she hissed, glaring at her father's favourite henchman with obvious hatred. "When are ya gonna learn that this canary has talons?!" She reached into her jacket pocket as she spoke, dimly aware of Alex as she tugged at her shoulders and squealed in fear. Her fingers easily thumbed the release to the switchblade she owned, and she grinned ferally as she drove it into Ricardo's wrist, his scream of pain music to her ears as he released her ankle, letting her wriggle free.

A yelp from behind her made her spin around, her right hand closing into a fist as she decked the other goon that had gotten through the main gates and managed to grab Alex. Once he was on the ground, she gave him a couple of kicks to the ribs and crotch before scooping Alex into her arms and breaking out into a full run, heading for the nearby road with the intention of hitch-hiking her way into the most densely populated city available - and hopefully the one place where they could simply disappear into the crowd : New York City. 


	2. Shadowed saviours

Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter One : Shadowed saviours

"Y'all take care now lil' lady. This here ain't the best place fer two girls ta be runnin' 'round on their own."

"We'll manage," Cassie smiled through clenched teeth as she climbed out of the big rig, cradling a half-asleep Alex in her arms. "Thank's bunches for the ride, man." _I swear, out of all the truckers in the world, why did we get the one who's overly talkative and likes to tell people about his pet hamster, JuJube?!_ Shaking her head in wonder, she slammed the door shut on the trucker's answering sentence and carried Alex over to a bus stop bench, setting her little sister down before she turned and took a long look at the city around them.

True, this wasn't exactly where she wanted to be. She'd be much happier in a quiet town or whatnot, but with a little luck and the seven thousand dollars she had gotten off of the credit card she had stolen from her father, this was the best place to try to disappear. And while she was well aware that her father had offices in New York, she hoped that they could stay ahead of him and his henchmen... at least for a little while. 

Where to start? Might as well go get something warm into Alex. Some soup should help her feel a little better. Sighing, Cassie crouched and stifled a gasp of pain as she eased a still out-of-it Alex onto her back, draping her sister's arms around her neck before she reached back and laced her fingers under her, letting her rest her cheek on her left shoulder as she did so. She had been running on nerves since they had left the estate two days ago, and by now she was so worn out that even her sister's slight weight was threatening to make her legs give out. _Doesn't help that she's like Jell-O when she's sleeping._

"...Cass..."

The soft mumble in her ear made her glance back in worry, blinking into the drowsy emerald green eyes of her little sister. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Sleepy... where are we?"

"New York City, sweetie. We made it. You hungry? Want some nice hot chicken noodle soup?"

Alex smiled tiredly and curled her arms around her sister. "With a grill cheese sandwich?"

"Of course! You have to have a good grill cheese with soup, it's the only way to have it!"

Laughing softly at her big sister's playful attitude, she nodded against her shoulder and yawned. "Yeah. Sound's good," she murmured, burying her face in her sister's warm hair afterwards as she was carried through the streets. "Cassie?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we gonna stay?"

"I dunno yet, kiddo," Cassie admitted. "Probably a hotel for a little while. I'm gonna try to find a job or... or something. But I'm gonna take care of you, okay? You don't worry about anything, sweetie."

"M'not a kid."

"I know you're not. But you're always gonna be my little sis, kiddo."

"I know." Now almost fully awake, Alex rose her face and took in a breath of the city air, wrinkling her nose at the scent of car exhaust and pollution, then raising a hand to her mouth when a fit of coughing hit her. It was a few moments before she managed to regain her breath, a fact that was helped by yet another dose from her inhaler. Feeling a little better, she resumed looking around, her eyes widening as she tried to absorb all the sights at once before settling on the small diner her sister was heading for. "Can we go shopping later?"

"Sure thing," Cassie promise, hiding her worry with practiced ease. "After we find a place to camp out for the night, we can do anything you want."

"Promise?"

"Yup. Here now, get offa me so you don't brain yourself on the top of the door."

Giggling, she hopped to the ground, suddenly filled with energy as she lead the way into the diner and threw herself into one of the booths next to a window. This was something new to her. All the other restaurants that she had been to - and they had been few and far between - had been highly formal places. Places that, like her father, were very cold and distanced. But the atmosphere here was warm and welcoming, something that she truly hadn't felt a lot of before.

Their waitress was like a beaming ray of sunshine, all cheerfulness and energy, and while Cassie seemed a little annoyed by it, Alex thought it was great, especially when Helen - for that was what was on her name tag - gave her a free piece of pie. She was sure that she and her sister worried the waitress a little, considering how much they ate and how quickly it all vanished. But to her credit, Helen said nothing, merely smiled and made small talk with Cassie, who was trying to learn the best places to stay for a few nights.

Alex was just polishing off her meal with a final drink from her soda when movement outside the window caught her attention, drawing her gaze to the black Mercedes that had just screeched to a stop in the middle of the street. Curious, she turned to stare at this particular wacko, wondering where he had learned to drive - and if all drivers in New York were like him.

Her heart nearly stopped seconds later when two familiar men in Armani suits piled out, her eyes widening when she saw the bandage on the first one's hand. _Ricardo! Oh no! _"Cassie!"

"So you say there's a cheap place up where?" Oblivious to her sister's rising panic, Cassie let Helen take full control of her attention as the waitress helpfully scribbled down directions to a affordable hotel on one of the napkins. It wasn't until Alex gave her a savage kick to her knee that she turned to look at her, her glare of annoyance fading when she saw the fear in her eyes. "What--?"

"They're _here!_" Alex yelped, pointing out the window to the two henchmen that were striding across the street, heading straight for the diner. "They found us!"

"Oh _shit!_" She scrambled out of the booth - nearly running Helen straight into the ground in the process - then grabbed Alex's arm and tossed a few twenties in the waitress' general direction. "You can keep the change if you let us use the back door!"

Alarmed by the very real terror in the two girls, Helen automatically pointed to the kitchen, blinking when the elder of the two grabbed her sister's arm and bolted for the rear entrance. The diner's door swung open then, the force of the push making it hit the wall as two well dressed and rather dangerous looking men stormed in, their gazes searching the booths one by one. _Oh, I can't believe I'm doing this!_

Mustering up her courage, she pocketed the two girl's money then snatched a couple of menus, plastering a cheerful smile as she approached the two new arrivals. "Good afternoon! A table for two I see? Or are there going to be more of Menacing Goons in Black squad joining you?"

Ricardo glowered at her and tapped at his chest, letting her see the bulge of the holstered gun there. "Back off, bitch," he spat, shoving her aside as he headed for the back, _knowing_ that he had seen those two kids sitting at that window.

~*~

"....Cass...."

The sound of the rough coughs along with the ragged whisper forced Cassie to a stop, and she frowned as she looked at Alex, who was gasping for breath in between violent deep coughs. Automatically, she reached into her younger sister's jacket pocket and pulled out her inhaler, murmuring at her reassuringly as she brought the contraption to her lips and pushed her thumb down, sending a burst of medication into her sister. "Take deep breaths. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you run..." She looked away as she spoke, taking a moment to study the filthy alley they were in before returning her gaze to the girl in front of her. "Alex?"

"....m'okay," Alex forced out as she rose shaking hands to take her inhaler from her sister, quickly inhaling another dose before pocketing it again.

Dammit.... _she's getting worse...._ Shaking her head a little, Cassie turned and knelt down so that her back was to her sister, glancing back over her shoulder when shouts sounded in the distance, barely audible over the low roar of the traffic. "Hurry. They're coming."

"H-how did they find us?" she whispered as she accepted the offer and climbed onto her sister's back, her voice rough due to the burning sensation in her throat, the effect of her harsh coughing. 

"Damned if I know, sweetie," Cassie growled as she forced herself to her feet and staggered forward a few steps, gritting her teeth as she pushed herself onwards. "But there's no way that I'm letting them take us back." Her eyes narrowed as her anger rose, giving her new strength that, while temporary, allowed her to push her pain and weariness aside and break into a quick jog. "No way in hell."

Alex closed her eyes at the familiar tone in her sister's voice, shivering as she remembered the last time her sister had lost her temper. It had been during one of the times where their father had tried to fondle her, and even now, the memory of the sheer hatred in her big sister's eyes made a cold feeling rise up in her stomach. There had been a horrible fight, and even though their father was twice the size of Cassie, she still managed to deal out quite a bit of damage before he knocked her across the room and proceeded to beat her senseless. Alex had spent those terrifying moments huddled under her bed, squeezed far back into the dusty corner as she watched the beating, her tears falling silently to the floor every time her sister tried to shoot her a reassuring glance in between punches and kicks.

It was the same tradition every single time their father came for her. Every time, Cassie would do everything she could to turn his rage and immoral lust onto her, while Alex hid safely away. There were times where she wasn't fast enough, and Cassie had thrown herself over her, taking the blows that had been meant for her....

"Alex!"

The hissed whisper made her jerk, realising that she had fallen asleep on her sister's shoulder. Cassie was still running, and the alley seemed familiar, so she guessed that she hadn't been out long. "Wha?"

Her sister chuckled. "You're drooling on my shoulder. It's kinda gross."

"Oh, shut--" Alex cut herself off with a yelp as a bullet ricocheted off a nearby wall and instinctively slid from her sister's back, huddling close to Cassie's side as they spun around to glare at the approaching Ricardo.

The goon grinned, showing a rather disturbing lack of dental hygiene. "Heh, thought ya could get away, huh, bitch?"

"Well of course, I mean, after all, with you on my father's force, it was child's play," Cassie sneered, her fear and anger overriding her common sense. _Why, oh why, am I insulting the psycho with the gun?! Better yet, why am I still standing here?!_

Snapping herself out of her automatic 'fight' reflex, she turned scooped Alex into her arms and bolted for the end of the alleyway, her breath rasping in her lungs as her body gave her it's opinion of her current exertion. Just as she hit an intersection of alleys, the Mercedes roared into sight, sending trashcans flying as it forced it's way into the cramped space. _Well, that limits the choices. Morons to the right, idiots behind.... ack! Another idiot in front! LEFT it is!_

Alex curled her arms around Cassie's neck as they dashed down another alley, then took a sharp right when their way was blocked by a chain-linked fence. _Going into the alley was a bad idea._ Her fingers clutched at her sister's jacket as she buried her face against her shoulder, very aware that they were both in serious trouble. _Oh please God, don't let them catch us... please..._

"_Shit!_"

The harsh yell made Alex snap her head up to look around them wildly as Cassie skidded to a stop, and her heart bottomed out when she followed her sister's gaze and stared at the brick wall in front of them. Voices from behind made her tremble, and she couldn't quite contain a whimper as she hid her face in her sister's tee shirt. "Noooo."

Despite all her efforts to hold it back, Cassie felt a shiver of terror travel down her spine, making her turn to stare at the entrance to the dead-end alleyway with wide eyes as she backed towards the wall, a soft yelp leaving her when she bumped against it. _Shit, shit, shit!_ Her mind trying to figure out a way out of the current mess, she gently set Alex on her feet and pulled away as she looked around, hoping for a door or a fire escape. "Oh shit, oh hell, oh _fuck_..."

Really starting to panic now - mostly because Cassie was panicking - Alex shrank against the wall and tried to make herself as small as possible, her eyes widening when she heard Ricardo call to one of the other henchmen to bring some rope. She was in the process of crawling backwards and trying to hide in a pile of old newspapers when her gaze caught on something directly in front of her sister, and she loosed a gasp of relief as she lunged to her feet and grabbed her. "Cassie! Look!"

Restraining the urge to automatically lash out in surprise, Cassie dropped her gaze to what Alex was pointing at and blinked at the sewer cover for a moment before shoving her sister backwards and crouching to curl her fingers into the small holes, gritting her teeth as she hauled on the heavy lid, the muscles and wounded skin on her back protesting mightily. She just barely managed to lift it enough so that it caught on the edge of the concrete, enabling her to shove the lid aside and look down into pure darkness. "This... is gonna be gross. Alex, c'mon!"

She didn't climb so much as drop into the sewers, and Alex wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stepped aside to make room for Cassie, who simply jumped down next to her, stumbling as she did so.

Her foot slipped on something as she landed, and Cassie automatically threw an arm out to brace herself against the wall, grimacing when her hand came away covered in.... something. "Ew! _Gross!_"

"Come on, Cassie!"

"Huh? Ack! Alex, wait!" Wiping her hand on her jeans, she quickly ran after her sister, pulling her close to her side once she caught up to her. Knowing that Ricardo would notice the still open manhole cover, she wanted to put as much distance between them and it, but it was difficult to move around in the dim light, and she really didn't want to think too much about what they were walking in. 

"Ugh. What's that smell?"

"Trust me, sweetie, you don't want to know. Just... watch where you step. You don't want to fall in."

"....ew."

"You have no idea. Hey! What was that?"

"Um.... Hello?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Alex, I don't believe you. We're being chased and you're saying 'hello' to strange noises? Honestly, kiddo, sometimes you worry me."

"Only sometimes?"

"Oh, ha ha. Lookit the funny teenager."

"Heeeey biiiiitch! Where arrrrrrre yooooou?"

Cassie spun at the taunting call, recognising Ricardo's voice as it echoed around them, amplified by the tunnel until it sent shivers down her spine. The sound of people running through the mire towards them made her scoop Alex into her arms again and break out into a full sprint, darting down the tunnel and then skidding into another, taking turns whenever they came in an effort to lose the two or more henchmen behind them.

Her boots hit dry cement then, and she let a small grin of relief flit over her lips as she sped up, pounding down the garbage littered tunnel in mild relief. A muscle in her shoulder cramped as she shifted Alex's weight, wishing that her little sister was well enough to run on her own without breaking into horrible coughs, but just a single glance down at the form that was curled in her arms made guilt rise in her at that thought, and she gave herself a slight shake to get her attention back where it belonged.

"_Gotcha!_"

A scream ripped it's way out of Alex's throat as she fell from Cassie's arms and hit the ground, the impact dazing her for a moment before she looked over at her sister, who was grappling with a leering Ricardo. "Cassi--"

"Uh, uh, Princess," a mocking voice chuckled as she was yanked to her feet, the cold blade of a knife nestling itself against her throat as her captor raised his voice, addressing her big sister. "Now play nice, and maybe we won't hurt ya and yer sister."

All the colour drained from Cassie's face when she saw another of her father's goons holding Alex, her gaze never leaving the trembling form of her sister as Ricardo jerked her up onto her knees, ordering another henchman he called 'Carlos' to hold her still.

"You bitch!" Ricardo's hand shot out and backhanded Cassie across the face as his free hand wiped at the blood that trickled from his nose, the only sign that she had managed to get a hit in. "Not only did ya bust up my hand, but now I hadta spend my days off followin' ya halfway across this fuckin' city!" Rage rose in him when she looked up at him, and he sneered at the look of hatred she gave him. "Heh.... I think ya should make it up ta us. Whaddya think, Carlos? Think she'll do fer some entertainment?"

Carlos chuckled and gripped the girl's hair, tugging her head roughly backwards as he peered down at her face. "Yeah. 'Sides, the Boss said we could have some fun. Why not put this pretty gal to work?"

"No! _Cassie!!_" Alex struggled against the hands holding her and yelped when the point of the knife bit into her throat, letting a small trail of blood trickle down her neck. The thug behind her wrapped his left arm around her shoulders then, pinning her against him as his right hand nuzzled the blade against her skin, the sensation making her shiver in fear.

"Now, yer gonna be a good little bitch, aren't ya?" Ricardo leered down at Cassie and lowered his hands to the fly of his pants as he spoke. "Else the little brat gets her throat slit."

Nonononono!! Cassie struggled wildly against Carlos' grip, crying out when he slammed his fist against the side of her head, the blow dazing her enough that her vision swam. He gripped her hair tighter then, tilting her head back so that she was forced to look up into Ricardo's disgusting leer, the sight making every ounce of her soul want to rip that expression off his face in the worst way possible.

She cringed away from him when he reached down to cup her chin, and she clenched her jaw shut as he started to pull her towards him, only to pause mere milliseconds later and shove her away. Curious, she cracked an eye open and looked up at him, blinking when she saw that he was reaching for his gun. 

"I think you'd better let them go."

The voice came from the darkness, and Cassie felt Carlos' hands tighten on her out of fear. "Aw, whatsa matter, morons? Are ya afraid of the dark?" _I really have to learn to stop annoying the psychopaths..._

"Shut her up!" Ricardo snapped to Carlos, who covered Cassie's mouth with his hand. A yelp caught his attention then, and he turned in time to see his other cohort get dragged away from the brat. Sounds of a struggle came from the darkness, and he squinted into it to try to see what was going on, although the sudden reappearance of the thug's body as it was thrown to his feet gave him the impression that he might just be over his head.

Now's my chance! Bracing herself, Cassie savagely sunk her teeth into Carlos' hand, smirking as he loosed a yell of pain and released her just enough to allow her to wriggle free and rise up to slam her foot backwards, hitting him square in the crotch. "Alex! _Run!_" Not waiting to see if her sister actually listened, she rolled to the side to avoid Carlos' body as he crumpled to the ground and started to get to her feet, crying out when Ricardo hit her upside the head with his revolver, sending her sprawling. 

Her vision swam as she forced herself to open her eyes again, staring up the barrel of a gun for a moment before looking past it to a grinning Ricardo. The shadows moved behind him then, making a weak grin spread over her lips as a rather inviting darkness started to envelop her thoughts, her voice a mere rasp as she mumbled out : "Say 'adios', Ricardo."

"Wha--" He cut himself off with a curse as something slammed into his back, knocking him against the sewer wall and making him lose his grip on his gun. He barely managed to reorient his thoughts when a green fist delivered a solid punch to his jaw, ending his current hold on his consciousness.

TBC


	3. Confrontational meetings

Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter Two: Confrontational meetings

"I'm tellin' ya! That's the same broad that was on the news! She's that high-priced guy's kid. Ya know, there's a reward fer her..."

Cassie grimaced a little as the voice dragged her out of comfortable unconsciousness, pulling her into a state of coherency that she really didn't want to be in at the moment. A damp cloth brushed over her face then, the sensation oddly soothing, despite the pain she was in.

"We're not turning her in until we know the whole story! If she is the runaway everyone's looking for, she probably has a good reason for it."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Her pop's loaded! Spoiled brat probably ran off cuz he wouldn't buy her a pony or some shit like that."

"Maybe... but what about those thugs? They were gonna--"

"I damn well know what they were gonna do! Why the hell didja think I took 'em out, Donnie?!"

"Um... guys? I think she's waking up."

What fine hell awaits me now? Ignoring her body's suggestion that she just pass out again, she slowly managed to force her eyes open, blinking up at the stained glass ceiling that was high above her for a moment before groaning and raising a hand to her aching head. She snapped fully awake seconds later when she realised that Alex wasn't with her, the realisation making her lunge to her feet and glare at the ones near her, her mind choosing not to comprehend the fact that she was facing what seemed to be three giant turtles. "Where the hell's my sister?!" 

One of the turtles - the one wearing a blue bandana - made calming motions at her and slowly stepped towards her. "Easy, calm down. She's saf--" 

She ignored him as her gaze darted around her surroundings, quickly scanning the old subway trains nearby as she called out for her little sister, fearing the worst. "Alex?! _Alexis?!_"

"Cassie?"

The relieved call made her spin around to look over at a nearby doorway, and she felt her knees weaken when Alex ran out and bolted over to her. Ignoring the ones that were staring at them, she enveloped her sister in a fierce hug, then held her at arms length, looking down at her worriedly. "Are you hurt?! Are you alright?!" She ran her hands over Alex's arms as she spoke, then up to cup her chin, gently tilting her head up to peer at the small cut on her throat. 

"I'm okay. Really," Alex murmured, sighing when her sister pulled her into another hug. "Mikey and his brothers saved us."

Cassie blinked. "Who?"

"Ahem."

Blinking, she glanced back over her shoulder, staring at the three who were watching them in obvious amusement before her mind choose that moment to jump start vital brain cells. "Holy shit!" On reflex, she shoved Alex behind her, moving to shield her. "What the hell is going on?!"

Alex snickered and stepped around her sister, pulling away when she tried to hold her back. "Calm down, already. They helped us. Um... are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Suuure. I'm all sorts of peachy over here," Cassie told her, her voice cracking as she spoke, her gaze still glued on the three turtles. The one in the blue bandana was still looking over at her in obvious concern, while the one in the red bandana looked like he was enjoying her obvious mental overload. The third was merely watching her quietly, studying her curiously.

"Hey, dudette! Thought you wanted to help me with these cookies -- whoops! Hi there!"

Blinking some more, Cassie looked towards the voice and stared at a fourth turtle who was holding a cookie sheet with a dozen chocolate chip cookies on them. "....I think I'd like to sit down now," she muttered as she shakily made her way back to the couch with Alex's help, never taking her gaze off the turtles as she did so. Once she was sitting down with a rather amused Alex next to her, she mustered what little composure she could and forced out the only coherent question she could come up with. "Could someone explain this to me before my brain melts?"

"Okay, look. Condensed version," Alex grinned, drawing her sisters gaze while the four turtles looked on warily. "They're mutant turtles who practice Ninjitsu - yes, they talk so don't interrupt with any stupid comments - their father and teacher is a mutant rat who's over in his room meditating or something like that. They live in the sewers cuz people in general are completely moronic and can't seem to get their heads out of their asses long enough to accept them as they are. With me so far?" When Cassie blinked, she took that as a 'yes'. "Good. They're the ones that found us when Ricardo and assholes got a hold of us. If it wasn't for them, we'd probably be dead.... or worse."

"I think I like this kid."

Cassie glanced towards the voice and looked at the turtle in the red bandana for a moment before sighing and returning her attention to her sister. "I so do not make stupid comments. And don't swear, that's my job." When all Alex did was roll her eyes at her, she sighed again and closed her eyes as she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, grimacing at the headache she had. 

When she opened her eyes moments later, she was surprised to see a glass of water being held out to her, along with two Tylenol, and she blinked as she looked up into the concerned brown eyes of the turtle that she had seen holding the cookie sheet minutes before. Shaking herself out of her surprise, she accepted the drink and the medication with a shaky smile. "Thanks..." she murmured, seeing him smile as she turned to the others. "Thank you.... for helping us. If you hadn't...."

"Hey, no prob. It's what we do!" the one who was still standing near her beamed, his cheerful mood infectious. "I'm Michelangelo, by the way. But you two can call me, Mikey." He winked at them playfully, then turned to point to his brothers. "That's Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael."

She smiled and gestured to her sister, who had curled up next to her. "I'm Cassie, though my sister probably already told you that."

Leonardo nodded and met her gaze, surprised at the shadows he saw there. "Yes, though her reaction to us was a little more... restrained."

"I'm keeping up my tradition of making my first impressions highly memorable," she smirked, hiding her unease effortlessly as the turtles chuckled and settled down around her. She took a quick look around again and saw that they were in what could be loosely termed the 'living room' section of the large open space. It did indeed use to be a subway station, though it looked like it hadn't been used in a hell of a lot of decades, and she took a second to make a mental note of the exit at the top of a nearby flight of stairs, turning her gaze to Raphael when he growled.

"Don't think of runnin'. Ya won't get far," he told her, seeing her eyes widen a little before she tensed and glared at him.

"Ignore him. He's always like this," Donatello told the two girls as he rolled his eyes. 

Cassie exchanged glances with Alex and shrugged as she swallowed the two pills Mikey had given her, taking a long drink of water afterwards. "I've dealt with worse," she replied.

"Like those thugs," Leonardo said, seeing her nod. "Your sister wouldn't tell us who they were."

She frowned and glanced at Alex, who met her gaze and mouthed the word 'reward'. _Shit. _

"Hey, we're the good guys here," Mikey told Cassie when he saw the silent exchange between the two girls. "We're not gonna turn you over to anyone."

"Speak fer yerself," Raphael grumbled from where he had thrown himself into a worn and beaten up lazy-boy chair. "Their father's offerin' fifty grand for 'em. We could use the money."

"We're not going back!" Alex shot back, visibly surprising the four brothers. "He'll kill us!"

"Alex!" Cassie hissed, glaring at her as she yelped and covered her mouth with her hands, suddenly realising what she had blurted out. _Oh hell. I didn't want to get into this...._ A quick glance around showed that they now held the complete attention of all four turtles, and she sighed as she pulled her little sister against her side, handing her the glass of water as she did so. "Drink a bit, sweetie, it'll calm your nerves."

"I think you'd better tell us the whole story," Leonardo murmured into the silence that followed, meeting Cassie's wary gaze when she looked at him. "Would it make you feel better if I gave you my word that we won't turn you over?"

"Not really. No," she whispered. "We've been tricked into trusting people before. It's a game he likes to play." When they all looked at her expectantly, she closed her eyes and shook her head, not believing what she was about to do. "Those three thugs... they're part of an organised crime syndicate run by the D'Amico family. I'm fairly certain you've heard of them, they're high up on the FBI's 'wanted' list."

"We've more than heard of them. We broke up a few drug runs," Donatello told her.

"Yeah. Got us on their shit list," Raph smirked as he idly played with a piece of loose upholstery on the chair, his gaze never leaving the older girl as Alex started up where Cassie left off.

"What most people don't realise is that the head of that organisation is hiding right out in the open. Where no one will suspect or.... or believe that he's the one in charge.... Marcelo D'Amico...." Alex trailed off as her sister nudged her in the ribs with her elbow and looked at her now eerily silent sister, frowning at the emotion in her eyes. "Cassie? Cassie, they're not gonna--"

"It's not that," she muttered, rubbing her jaw where Ricardo had hit her. She'd have a nice bruise in a few more hours. Suddenly hit by an urge to move despite how terrible she felt, she got to her feet and started pacing behind the couch, dimly aware that Alex had twisted to look at her worriedly. "No one's ever believed us. Not our teachers, not even the cops... they thought we were lying. Like it was all a joke. And then they'd send us home again..." She shook herself out of her memories and rose her gaze to Leonardo. "Marcelo D'Amico is our father... though for the public, he's known as Daniel Murdock."

There was a moment of stunned silence before any of the turtles spoke, suspicion and disbelief obvious on their faces. "Then how's he managed to stay ahead of the investigations?" Donatello frowned, seeing her wrap her left arm around herself to clutch at her ribs as she resumed pacing.

"He's good at covering his tracks, the bastard," she muttered sourly. "Hides right in the open, gets himself a nice wife to hang on his arm and two kids. The perfect poster-board family. On the underneath it's just as corrupt as his thrice damned 'syndicate'.... he's got people _everywhere._ I suppose that's how Ricardo found us so fast.... we only got into New York this afternoon--"

"How gullible to ya think we are?" Raphael growled as he shot to his feet, meeting her gaze when she looked at him. "Ya seriously expect us ta swallow that?"

"Raph--"

"Leo, you've gotta be kiddin' me! You can't be buying that!"

"Raph, sit down."

"And keep listening to this shit?! She's pullin' our chain, Leo."

"She's not lying!" Alex cried, ignoring Michelangelo when the turtle moved to stop her from getting to her feet and stalking over to Raphael. "You don't know anything! You don't know what it's like to live like that! He doesn't care about us at all, except that we make his farce look even more believable! He _beat_ us! You have no idea what our life was like there! You--"

Cassie jerked her gaze over to her sister as a fit of coughing overtook her, and she fairly vaulted over the couch as she rushed to Alex's side, supporting her when she sagged against her. Automatically protective, she levelled a glare at Raphael and frowned. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about," she said softly, her voice cold and emotionless as she held Alex close. "I'd think that you'd the last person to judge things by how they look."

Leo jumped up to stand between them when Raphael's expression darkened and shot him a glare of his own as Donnie went to help Alex, who was suddenly very pale. "Is she alright?"

"No," Cassie murmured. "She's been sick for a while. She's got asthma, so whenever she gets a cold, it goes straight to her lungs. Murdock refused to let me bring her to the doctor.... he knew any doctors would find...." She trailed off and glanced at Donatello as he rested a hand on Alex's upper chest, feeling her breathing. 

"What are her symptoms?"

"You heard the coughing. Happens at least two dozen times a day, takes her at least ten minutes to recover from them. She can't do much exercise anymore... everytime she does, her asthma hits and the coughing starts all over again. Her meds don't seem to be working like they should." She frowned and looked down at her little sister, who was letting Donatello check her pulse while a concerned Mikey rested a hand on her forehead. "I think she's lost weight too.... but it's not like we've had a lot to eat." 

"Damn, she's got a fever," Mikey frowned worriedly, catching the look of panic that Cassie shot him. "Hey, don't worry, she'll be alright. With a sister like you, how can she not be?"

She smiled a little at the compliment. "Thanks," she whispered, turning to look behind her when Raphael's rising voice caught her attention.

"You're actually buying into this crap? Some chick walks in outta nowhere and starts accusin' one o' the richest bigshots of bein' a crime lord and of beatin' them without any proof, and you _believe_ her? Lookit them Leo! There's nothin' on 'em! Just the marks from those thugs!"

Leonardo glared at his brother and struggled to keep his own temper in check, knowing that this would probably end up in a fight no matter what he did. "Why would she lie, Raph?! You saw those thugs, you _know_ they were part of D'Amico's group!"

"An that automatically means she's tellin' the truth?! She could be some druggy for all we know! Hell, the kid's probably a smoker the way she sounds!"

"It never ends," Mickey muttered, rubbing Alex's back soothingly when she turned wide eyes to him. "Ignore Raph, he's just an idiot. You're too cute to be a smoker. Right, Cassie? Uh.... Cassie?"

Near trembling in rage, Cassie turned and gently pushed Alex closer to Mike and Don, pausing to shuck out of her jacket before stalking over to where Raphael was still yelling at Leo. Not even letting them fully acknowledge her presence, she brushed past Leo and literally got in Raph's face, which wasn't all that hard considering that she was the exact same height as he was. "You ignorant bastard," she hissed, hands fisted at her sides. "You have no fucking clue what you're talking about. You want your proof?! _Fine!_"

Not giving him a chance to say anything, she stepped to the side and turned so that her back was to the turtles as she stripped out of her tops, standing there in just her sportsbra, the new pain in her back telling her that the removal of her shirt had broken the tender scabs. She heard Raphael's curse over the gasps of horror from the others and narrowed her eyes as she spun to glare at him, knowing that the bruises, gashes and scars that laced her upper body were clearly visible. "Here's your damned proof! You see these?! The ones on my back were made from his belt, these from his cigars, and I'm fairly certain that the bruise on my back perfectly matches the treads on his hiking boots! You want to know how I got these, Raphael?! That rich bigshot you're defending did this to me! Since I was fourteen! And last year he started going after Alex!" Her voice was rising to a near hysterical pitch as she yelled at him, unable to stop herself. "You want to know how I got the fresh ones?! He went after Alex and I got in the middle, pissed him off enough that he forgot all about her and beat the crap out of me instead! Alex and I go through this every single fucking day! He's been tryin' to rape her for over a year now! An I make damn sure that he doesn't lay a hand on her, because I don't want her to go through what I did!! So tell me, Raphael, _is this proof enough for you?!_"

The silence that fell over them was oppressive, broken only by Cassie's harsh breaths as she struggled to keep control of her temper while continuing to fix a speechless Raphael with a venomous glare. It wasn't until he swore and stalked away that anyone moved, and she jerked away from Leo's touch when he moved to help her. "I'm fine. Don't touch me," she growled as she snatched her shirt off the floor, grimacing at the sensation of fresh blood trailing down her back.

"Those need to be treated," he whispered raggedly, still unable to shake the horrible image from his mind. "They're infected. If it spreads...."

She tightened her hands around her shirt, bunching it up as she eyed the remaining three turtles warily, her anger fading at the tears on Alex's face. Sighing wearily, she walked over to her and lightly touched her cheek, brushing the wetness from her skin with utmost care and closing her eyes when her little sister launched herself into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder. She felt a hand lightly stroke her hair then, and she snapped her eyes open to stare at Mikey in surprise, shocked at the very real worry she saw in his eyes.

"C'mon," he murmured, gently tugging on her arm as Donatello took a sniffling Alex from her. "Let's get you patched up."

TBC


	4. Mending

_ Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away._

W_ow! So much high praise! Many, **many**, thanks to all those who reviewed!_   
  
  


**Mending**   
  


A long, drawn-out sigh left Cassie's lips as she shifted for the fifth time in as many minutes, trying to ignore the sensations going through her back as Michelangelo carefully cleaned off the dried blood from the deep criss-crossed gashes. She was straddling one of the kitchen chairs and resting her chin on her arms, which were folded on the back of said chair while she quietly contemplated the rather unattractive pattern on the table in front of her. Alex was sitting across from her, her wide eyes never leaving her despite the fact that Donatello was trying to get her to tell him exactly how bad her cold was affecting her asthma. 

_Aw, hell. I know that look._ "Alex. Stop it." Her low mutter drew the gazes of the two turtles, and she frowned as she turned her full attention to her sister. "You stop looking at me like that right now. This isn't your fault." 

Alex shivered a little and glanced away. "But--" 

"Hey, no 'but's'. Your sister's right," Donnie said, his voice soft yet stern as he hesitantly reached out to brush her tears away. "You're not to blame for the evils of another." 

"There, see? Two against one, you're outvoted. Now go with Donnie so that he can see about making you better, okay? I'll be fine." Cassie told her, taking a moment to watch the two leave the room before glancing back at Mikey, who hadn't said anything since he had taken on his self appointed task of patching her up, despite his obvious unease. "You don't have to do this, you know. Considering how it feels, it's probably not a pretty sight." 

He met her gaze and shook his head. "It's not that," he muttered, frowning as he glanced back at the infected and bruise framed gashes that adorned all of her back. "I just.... I can't understand how someone could do this to their own kid." 

"I think it's one of those mysteries in life. Like why socks vanish into the dryer." 

"Why do you do that?" 

"What?" 

"Turn things into jokes." 

She paused, then turned away from his deep brown gaze and rested her chin on her arms again. "Because if I don't then I'm going to have a complete and total emotional and mental breakdown. And I can't let myself do that right now. For one thing, I think a hysterical female would seriously freak you guys out.... and if I do let myself lose it.... I'm fairly certain that I won't be able to stop." 

"....sorry." 

"Don't be. It was a fair question." Silence fell over them then, and she revelled in it as she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to relax and ignore the feeling of a damp cloth running over tender wounds. Needless to say it didn't work. All it was doing was giving her time to think, which really wasn't something she wanted to do. Footsteps made her look over towards the doorway, and she smiled a little when Leonardo walked in. "Hey. Um.... could you do me a favour?" 

He exchanged worried glances with Mikey when he heard her voice waver and moved over to take a seat next to her. "Of course." 

"Talk to me. I don't care about what. Sit there and babble about dust mites if you want. I just.... need a distraction." 

Leo frowned at her, but nodded. "How about the uncondensed version of our story?" 

"I'm all ears." 

~*~ 

"Ow ow ow!" 

"Would you stop squirming?" 

"I am not squirming - ow! - I'm.... well alright, _fine_, I'm squirming. But that bloody stings!" 

"You are such a baby." 

"Am not!" 

"Are too!" 

"Am - ow ow ow! - not!" 

Leonardo rolled his eyes as he watched Cassie try to dodge the peroxide soaked cloth that Mikey was using to disinfect her wounds, which really was a useless thing to do since she was still straddling that chair. Somewhere along the last half hour, the combined mood in the kitchen had taken a dramatic shift from depressing to something more normal, and while he was glad to see that Mikey was acting a little more like himself, he knew that it was mostly that. An act. But he suspected that it was more for Cassie's benefit than anything else. The look in her eyes when he had joined them.... he had never seen such emotional pain in someone before. He had almost been unable to meet her gaze. 

"Leo, blink." 

Startled, he frowned and met Cassie's amused gaze. _It's like the pain was never there. She's adept at hiding her emotions when she wants to._ "Huh?" 

"Blink. You've been staring off into space for a minute now without blinking. It's weird." 

"Nah. Leo does that all the time," Mikey told her as he sent a grin at his brother. "You'll get used to it." 

"Will I now? I wasn't aware I'd be here that long." 

"It's obvious that it's not safe for you and Alex to head back up to the city. You said so yourself that Murdock has people everywhere," Leo told her. "You can't seriously think that we'd just let you risk your lives. Not after we've seen what he's done to you." 

She jerked a little in surprise, feeling Mike rest his hands on her shoulders to steady her when the motion threatened to topple her from the chair. "Holy shit, you're serious! You'd.... You don't even know us, why--" 

"Hey, it's what we heroes do," Mikey grinned, winking at her when she leaned her head back to look at him. "'Sides, you're growin' on us. Anyone who can make Raph speechless is an automatic guest." 

Leo hid a smile at that. "Anyway, Cassie, you're in no shape to go anywhere. And neither's Alex. Donnie thinks she might have bronchitis." 

"What?!" 

"Whoa, whoa, easy there!" Being careful not to hurt her, Mikey firmly kept her from leaping to her feet and running from the room, worried at the near panic in her eyes. "She'll be okay! Donnie's good at this sort of stuff. And I think Master Splinter's got some herbs that'll help her." 

She frowned but let herself sink back into the chair. "He's the one who raised you, right?" 

"Indeed I am, child." 

The soft yet rich voice drew her gaze to the doorway, where the one the turtles referred to as their 'sensei' stood. True, she knew what to expect and had readied herself to meet a giant rat, but she was shocked at the seemingly timeless wisdom and strength in his eyes, a startling contrast to his obviously elder age. She saw Raphael standing behind him, and met his gaze for a moment before returning her attention to Splinter. "Um.... hi?" 

He smiled a little and approached her, glancing at each of his sons before meeting her gaze again, frowning when he saw an almost life-weary tint to them. "Raphael has told me what he knows of your past, and of the ones that are chasing you," he told her, raising an eyebrow when she tensed and shot a wary look at his usually more hostile son. It had surprised him when Raphael had come to him to ask that the two girls be allowed to stay, and while the fiery anger was still present in the turtle's voice, it had taken on a more protective edge. Now that he saw the girl, he was deeply horrified at what had happened to her, easily noticing the scars that not only adorned her body, but her spirit. "May I?" 

Cassie tensed a little as he gestured to her back and felt Mikey give her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before she nodded, shivering when the turtle broke contact to step aside. A feather-light touch nearly made her jump out of her skin, and she curled her fingers around the back of the chair, struggling to keep still. 

A sorrowful sigh escaped the sensei as he averted his gaze from the ghastly wounds and stepped around to meet her gaze again. "When were these inflicted on you, Cassie?" 

"About three days ago," she murmured as she looked away to stare at the tabletop, unable to handle the very real concern in his eyes. "Though I'm fairly certain some of the half-healed ones got reopened. I don't know how long I had those... days, weeks...." 

He nodded as she confirmed his suspicions, then lightly touched her left arm, drawing her gaze. "My sons will protect you and your sister, Cassandra. You are safe here." When he saw her eyes fill up with tears, he sighed and rose a hand to gently smooth her hair back from her face, feeling her tremble at the touch. "Wait here, my child. Michelangelo and I will prepare a herbal poultice to help heal the infection in your wounds. Leonardo? Could you please go and check on Alexis?" 

"He did that on purpose," she muttered after the three had left, and she quickly wiped at her eyes before glancing at Raphael. 

"Yea well.... he knows I don't do this shit often," he mumbled in reply as he leaned against the archway and folded his arms over his plastron, glancing away from her as he did so. "Hey, look.... I'm sorry, alright? What that bastard did ta ya. It ain't right. I didn't mean ta--" 

"It's alright. Really. You were protecting the ones you care about, I can understand that." She paused for a moment, then smirked. "Besides, I probably shouldn't have lost it on you like that. Makes us even." 

Shaking his head, Raph pushed away from the wall and walked over to the fridge, seeing her eyes widen as he pulled out a beer, used the edge of the counter to pop the cap off and set it in front of her. "You'll need this. That stuff they're gonna put on ya, it gets the job done but it burns like hell for the first few minutes." 

"Figures. This week is seriously kicking my ass," she grumbled as she snatched the bottle and took a long drink. "Ugh, this is Lite, isn't it?" 

"S'all I could manage ta sneak in," he smirked, seeing her grimace again before she took another drink. "Probably gonna get yelled at now. Splinter doesn't approve of me bringin' beer into the lair." 

"Oh. Well... thanks." A chuckle left her then, and she grinned a little as she rose her gaze to meet his. "Don't think I've ever thanked people as much as I've thanked you guys--" 

"Is that beer?!" 

"Mine!" Cassie growled, holding the bottle close to her as Leonardo moved to snatch it from her. "No touching." 

He rolled his eyes and looked over at Raph, who was doing a grand job of trying not to laugh himself sick. "You know what Splinter told you." 

"Aw, give it a break, Leo. 'Sides, she'll need it. You know what that herbal stuff is like." 

"That's not the point. You're not even legal age--" 

"Technically, neither am I," Cassie added rather cheerfully before taking another drink, snickering at the look of 'you're not helping' that Leo was giving her. "Take notice of how that's not stopping me. Now if it was Alex, _then _I'd agree with you." 

Raph smirked at Leo before looking at her. "Yeah? How old are ya?" 

"M'eighteen. Alex is fifteen tomorrow, speaking of which, someone's gonna have to show me the way out of here, I'm gonna need to go to a pharmacy or something." 

"Not an option," Leonardo told her, raising a hand to cut her off when she started to protest. "Your picture was on the news, Cassie, everyone's going to be looking for you. And besides the fact that it's too dangerous for you to be seen, you're in no shape to go anywhere." 

She grumbled and lowered her gaze to glare at the bottle in her right hand. "Fine. You win, for now." 

"Look, if it's that important, we have a friend topside. Her name's April. She's done errands for us before, I'm sure she could go get the stuff you need," he paused when she looked up at him hopefully and put emphasis on the end of his sentence, "_tomorrow._" 

"What about April?" Mikey asked as he rejoined them, looking from an amused Leo to Cassie as he set a tea kettle on the table, his eyes widening when he saw what she was holding. "Ack! Hide that bottle before--" 

"Raphael." 

"Uh..." He turned at the call and met Splinter's disapproving frown. "I figured she'd need it, Sensei. It'll calm her nerves enough so that she doesn't try ta deck one of us when ya slap that stuff on her." 

Splinter shook his head and walked past him. "Ten flips. Now." he ordered, ignoring the groan from Raphael as the turtle headed for the dojo. 

"Hey, wait! Wait, wait, wait! I haven't finished that yet!" Cassie yelped, groaning when Splinter took the bottle from her hands and poured the rest of it's contents down the kitchen sink. "Aw, man..." 

Rolling his eyes, Splinter ignored her annoyed grumbles and set a mug in front of her before pointing to the kettle. "Drink some tea. It will have a better calming effect than Raphael's alcohol." 

"Y'all do realise that this is probably gonna knock me out right? I've been runnin' on nerves for over two days now. If I relax, I'm gonna fall asleep," she muttered as she obediently poured herself some tea, wrinkling her nose at the herbal smell. 

"So be it then. You will need the rest to heal," Splinter told her as he watched her sip at the tea, chuckling a little when she made a face at the taste of it. 

"That's my reaction to it too," Mikey grinned as he laid out a large square of gauze and started to spread some of the herbal paste onto it, the rather odd coloured poultice making her edge away. "How'd you like to look like a mummy?" 

"How about not?" 

"Spoilsport." 

"Michelangelo, that is enough. Cassandra, I'm afraid that this may be rather uncomfortable--" 

She sighed and pushed the mug away from her, shaking her head a little before glancing back at Splinter. "Don't worry. I can handle it. Can we just get this over with please?" When he nodded, she twisted around to face forward again and blinked at the green hand that thrust itself in front of her, making her look up to meet Leonardo's gaze as he sat down next to her. "It's okay." 

"You'll need the support," he told her, managing to muster up a reassuring smile as she took his hand, mere seconds before Splinter pressed the poultice-covered dressing onto her back, the action making her clench her eyes shut in agony and loose a rather deafening scream of... 

"_Jesus fucking Christ!!_" 

~*~ 

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one here who's well versed in swearin'," Raph grumbled half an hour later as he leaned back on the couch and looked over at Leonardo who was still trying to shake feeling back into his hand. "She break it?" 

"I'm not sure yet. I can't feel my fingers." 

"Wuss." 

"Cassie's out," Mikey announced as he joined them at the 'living room', sighing in relief as he threw himself down onto a couch. "Alex's asleep too. But I'm surprised, Raph. You must be going soft if you let Cassie take over your room." 

He growled in response and folded his arms across his plastron. "Shut up, Mikey. 'Sides, I'm usually out here all night anyway." 

"Which is why you're always late for practice," Leo pointed out, ducking the TV Guide that flew his way as Raphael snatched up the TV remote and started channel surfing. "Where's Donnie? Is he still with Alex?" 

"Naw. Brainiac's gone back into hiding." Mike jerked a thumb towards Donatello's lab as he spoke. "Said he wanted to try to find out some more about D'Amico and his goon squad." 

"We'd learn more if ya just let me go out and track down a few o' them," Raphael said grimly, his glare fixed on the TV. "I'd get ya some answers real fast." 

"And you'd probably get killed in the process." Not wanting to get into another fight, Leonardo got to his feet and snatched up the extra blanket and pillow he'd taken gathered for himself since he had given his room to Alex. "I'll be sleeping in the dojo." 

"Well, that went better than expected," Mikey commented dryly, ignoring the annoyed glare that Raph threw at him. "Hey, Raph? Can I ask you something?" 

"What?" 

"....why do humans do that? Hit their kids?" 

The sorrowful tone made Raphael turn his gaze away from the TV to look at Mike, frowning when he saw a complete lack of the wild cheerfulness that his brother usually exuded. "Dunno, 'bro. Not all'a them do it. I guess that ones that do are just fucked in the head or somethin'." He shook his head at his own words and turned back to the TV, lowering a hand to play with the prongs of one of the sais hooked into his belt. "Don't you worry 'bout those two girls, Mikey. No one's gonna lay a finger on 'em." 

That brought back the old Mikey charm. "I knew it! You _are_ going soft!" 

Raph rolled his eyes and chucked a pillow at his already retreating brother. "Get outta here already! Geez!" 


	5. Breathless

_ Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away._

Breathless

The low roar of semi-muffled voices pulled Cassie out of a fitful sleep at an hour that she guessed was probably close to the 'Oh God No' time of the morning. Truthfully, she hadn't slept more than a few hours before the ache in her back had started to make peaceful sleep difficult, add to that the fact that she wasn't used to having to sleep on her stomach and it pretty much cancelled out any thoughts of a full night's rest.

Yawning softly, she cracked an eye open and peered towards the closed door, grumbling a little when the slight glow from the television told her that Raphael was still awake. _Only he's up by choice._ Moving proved to be a hazard, and she moaned softly in pain as she flopped back down onto the pillow, muttering her curses into it until the agony in her back dulled down to a near ignorable level. Obviously as soon as she had relaxed and fallen asleep, her tortured body had taken advantage and decided to rebel. Indeed, she was certain she could actually count each and every bruise on her body just by the feelings that were bombarding her brain. _Nuuugh.... medic...._

Figuring that lying there while trying to suffocate herself with a pillow wasn't going to do her any good, she gingerly rolled onto her side and stared towards a picture covered wall, quirking an eyebrow when she spotted a Playboy centrefold amongst the posters of Linkin Park and Korn. _I could have gone without seeing that. Truly I could have._

Shaking her head in amusement, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went about the task of sitting up, clenching her jaw at the painful stiffness of her back that was mixed in with the throbbing burning sensation coming from her wounds. Reaching out to use a semi-sturdy bookshelf as leverage, she somehow managed to get to her feet, wobbling a little before her sense of balance reset itself.

Once she was fairly certain that she wasn't about to crash to the floor, she tugged her tattered tank-top into place and rearranged her shorts, hating the fact that the bruises and scrapes on her legs were plainly visible. _Of course, until I find out what the hell Mikey did with my jeans, I'm kinda stuck..._ Sighing, she pulled open the door and peeked out into the huge open space of the lair, smirking when she saw that Raphael was sprawled across the couch in his sleep, snoring softly.

She was just about to go on the search for the bathroom when a sleepy mumble emanated from the couch, and she frowned as she looked over at the turtle that was staring at her. 

"Wha's tha matta?" he grumbled, blinking at her for a moment before raising a hand to rub at his eyes. "Ya look like shit."

Cassie rolled her eyes at his tactful comment. "Bathroom. Where?"

"Down the hall. On the left." He watched her slowly stagger towards the hallway for a moment before starting to get to his feet. "Ya need help?"

"There are some things I prefer not to do in a group," she shot back as she padded barefoot towards the short hallway he had point at, making a beeline for the bathroom and waiting until she had closed the door before flicking on the light and staring into the cracked mirror that hung above the sink.

The sight that greeted her made her suck in a breath in shock and raise a hand to push her hair out of her face, peering at the exhausted expression that stared back at her. True, she didn't have all that much of a bruise from the savage introduction of Ricardo's fist to her face, but it was the very obvious lifeweary look of her that startled her and she sighed as she lightly trailed a finger over the nearly invisible scar that stretched from her left eyebrow down to her jawline, a gift from her father. _I look like an eyesore from the Liberance house of crap._

Shaking her head as if to expel such thoughts from her mind, she quickly made use of the facilities and took a few more minutes to wash her face and hands, glad for the chance to do so. She left the room just as silently as she entered it and headed back to her borrowed room, nearly jumping out of her skin when a soft whisper sounded from the direction of the couch.

"Hey, you okay?"

Mustering up a smile, she glanced over at Raphael who had partially propped himself up to look at her and made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "M'fine. Go back to sleep."

He peered at her in the darkness for a moment, then shook his head and sat up, fumbling for the remote that was buried between the cushions. "Nah. 'Sides, practice is in an hour," he muttered as he pulled out a empty bag of chips from the depths of the couch, grimacing as he tossed it over his shoulder and continued his search.

"Practice?"

"Gotta keep in shape," he smirked, grinning triumphantly when he closed his fingers around the elusive remote. "Come sit down before ya collapse already. I don't bite...." he paused and winked at her, "not 'less ya want me to."

"Pervert." But watching a bit of TV sounded a lot better than trying to force herself to sleep. With that thought in mind, she went and lowered herself onto the couch, wincing as she leaned back against the cushions. "Oh, _shit.... _that hurts...."

Raph glanced at her and frowned. "That little fuck got ya good, didn't he? Why didn't ya fight back!?"

"Couldn't," she hissed as she shifted, finally settling for sitting lotus style and keeping her back from touching anything. "He surprised us so Alex didn't have enough time to hide. I shielded her with my body, that's why my back got the worst of it."

"_Fuck._"

She didn't say anything to that. Instead, she looked at the TV, rolling her eyes when she saw that V.I.P was on and that Pamela Anderson was jiggling her way across the screen in six inch heels. "You know, I bet that if you whacked her in the head with a stick, prizes would fall out." There was a grunt of laughter from the turtle sitting at the other end of the couch and she smirked as she glanced over at him. "What? It's true. Besides, those are totally fake, I don't care if she says she got the implants taken out. That's just not possible."

"What? Ya jealous?"

"Ew, no!"

"Riiiight."

"Oh shut up." Something jabbed into her thigh then, and she grimaced as she reached a hand into the couch cushions, groping blindly for whatever it was before pulling out a pencil. "Y'all don't clean all that much around here, do you?"

"Hey, ya can see the floor can't ya?" he grumbled, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she put her hair into a pony tail and twisted it around in some odd fashion before jabbing the pencil into the tangled mess, pinning the tousled pony tail in place. He quickly averted his gaze when she glanced at him and started flipping through the channels, scowling at the huge number of infomercials he found. "Well, yer choice, Cass. V.I.P or music videos?"

As if _that _was a hard choice. "Music videos," she said quickly, groaning when Jessica Simpson appeared on the screen. "Argh! I can't win."

Raph chuckled. "At least it can't get any worse."

"Don't say that. Things always get worse after you say they can't." She looked back at the TV just as the first video ended to be replaced by Britney Spears. "See?! Your fault."

"My fault?"

"You jinxed it," she stated matter-of-factly as she shifted, her breath hissing out between her clenched teeth. "Ugh, my kingdom for a shot of morphine. And don't look at me like that, I'm not about to keel over dead. I've survived this before."

A scowl replaced his concern as he twisted to face her, leaning his shell back against the arm of the couch. "How long has that bastard been doin' this to ya?"

She blinked at the rage in his voice and glanced over at him warily, trying not to make it too obvious that she was leaning away from him. "Why?"

"Gives me all the more reason to kill 'im," he shrugged, leaning forward when she shrank away from him. "I ain't gonna hurt ya, Princess."

Her eyes widened at the nickname, and she knew that he saw the shudder that went through her. "Don't _ever _call me that," she whispered raggedly. "_Never_."

"Aw, _fuck_."

Another shiver went through her as he shoved himself to his feet and stomped into the darkness beyond the glow of the TV, and she lowered her gaze to her trembling hands as she tried to calm herself, inwardly berating herself for feeling such fear because of a nickname. But it wasn't just the term that made her afraid, it was the memories it triggered.

A warm blanket dropped onto her shoulders then, and she looked up at Raphael as he crouched to be at her eye-level and held a glass of water out to her. "...I'm sor--"

"Don't," he growled, cutting her off sharply as he thrust the glass into her hands and proceeded to shake two pills out of the bottle of Tylenol he had gotten from the kitchen cupboard. "This ain't yer fault. It's his. An I don't ever want to hear ya apologise for what that bastard did to ya, ya hear me?" When she nodded, he sighed and handed the two pills to her, watching her swallow them and drink some of the water. "Yer ruinin' my reputation, ya know."

"I kinda picked up on that," she murmured as he stood and threw himself down next to her.

They stared at the TV for a few minutes before Raph rose an arm and pointed at the screen. "Now those, _those_ are fake."

Cassie grimaced and gently elbowed him. "Pervert," she muttered, yelping in surprise moments later when the lair's main lights came on, momentarily blinding her. "Hey!"

"Cassie? What are you doing up?" Leo frowned and looked at the source of the male voice that was cursing loudly. "Raph! Did you wake her?"

"Shaddup, Leo." When his vision cleared and greeted him with his brother's angry frown, Raph rolled his eyes and jerked him thumb at his TV partner, who was still rubbing her eyes. "She couldn't sleep, alright? Of course now that she's partially blind...."

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I just have to wait until these little glowing spots stop dancing across my line of sight," Cassie muttered as she blinked dazedly, cocking her head to the side as she watched the glowing distortions swim in her vision. "Oh, kewl. I wonder if I can get eyeshadow in that colour?"

Leo rolled his eyes then smiled at her when she blinked at him owlishly. "If I said I was sorry, would that help?"

"Only if you promise to yell out a warning next time," she smirked. "Gonna give me drain bamange if you keep that up."

"Cute," Raph chuckled, easily catching the hidden joke in her sentence.

"Greaaat, just what we need," Leo grumbled good naturedly as he headed for the kitchen. "Another Mikey."

On cue, the orange banded turtle poked his head out of his room and stuck his tongue out at his brother. "You're just jealous that you didn't get my playful charm! So nyah!"

Cassie snickered. "Oh yeah, you showed him, Mikey," she grinned, chucking as he struck a proud pose and strode over to them only to yelp and slam to the floor in an undignified heap when Raph tripped him. "Well, that little show of grace and charm didn't last long."

Raph grinned and turned his attention back to the TV. "Never does."

"Ugh, is it morning already?"

"Hi, Donnie," Mike smiled from where he was still sprawled on the floor, catching his brother's curious look for a moment before the resident brainiac headed for the kitchen. "Bye, Donnie."

"If you're gonna stay down there then make yourself useful," Raphael smirked as he shifted so that he could use Mikey's shell as a footrest. 

"You're all nuts," Cassie informed them as she gripped the armrest and gingerly pushed herself to her feet, dimly aware of Raph's annoyed grumble when Mikey leapt to his feet and moved to help her. "I'm alright. Just sore."

Used to dealing with his brothers when they were hurt - and knowing when to recognise when someone was trying to be tougher than they really were - Mikey still didn't let her push him aside. Instead, he helpfully wrapped his arm around her waist and supported her, daring to take a peek down the back of her shirt at the gauze dressings that adorned her back. "Looks like you didn't bleed through, that's good. I'll have to change the bandage, though if you want, I don't think it would hurt if you took a shower."

"Are you insinuating something?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him pointedly.

He gave her an innocent look and smiled. "Me? Insinuate? Never." When she simply glared at him, he chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You look like something the cat dragged in and spat out."

There was a snort from the one on couch. "Very tactful, Mikey."

"Oh, as if you're one to talk!" she muttered.

"And what's that supposed to me--"

"_CASSIE!!!_"

Instinct took over even before the scream had finished echoing though the lair. Ignoring the turtles who had automatically expected the worst and formed a semi-circle around her - she didn't know how Leo and Don had made it from the kitchen to her side so quickly - Cassie jerked out of Michelangelo's hold and bolted for the room her sister was in, not even bothering to slow down as she fairly tore the door open, her gaze sweeping the room before settling on the form that was curled up in the far corner. "Alex?!"

"He's _here!_ I heard him!"

Dimly aware that the four turtles had gathered at the doorway, Cassie slowly moved to kneel in front of her little sister who was tightly curled into the corner, her arms risen to protect her head and face as she cringed in expected pain. Being careful not to make an already tense situation worse, she reached out and lightly touched Alex's knee, gasping when the motion made the younger girl whimper and try to back further into the corner. "Alex! Alex it's _me!_ It's Cassie!"

Still trembling, Alex peeked between her hands and blinked at her sister for a moment before throwing herself into her arms, forgetting that Cassie was hurt as she clung to her like a drowning woman. "I don't want him to hurt me!!"

"There's no one here," Mikey told her as he knelt down next to the two sisters, his eyes widening when he saw how badly Alex was shivering. "Hey, shh, it's okay."

"_No! _I heard him!" she cried, her voice bordering on hysteria. "He was here!"

Panic beginning to rise in her as well, Cassie held Alex tighter and looked over at Leonardo, who shook his head. _No one? Then what...? _The soft crackle of static caught her attention then, and she let her eyes roam across the room again, frowning when she saw a worn beat-up clock radio. "Shut that off!"

Donatello, who was closest, obediently reached out and thumbed the 'off' button, gasping softly when he suddenly realised what had happened. "The six-am news. Oh, damn. They must've played a taped recording of Murdock's voice!" _Dear God. Just the sound of him sent Alex into a panic._ Deep coughs made him look over towards the two on the floor, and he frowned when Cassie pulled back a little in an attempt to give Alex more air. "Cassie! Where's her inhaler?"

"I don't know!" Cassie said worriedly, holding onto her sister when another bought of coughing overtook her. But it was wrong. It wasn't just deep coughs that were making her worry, it was the strangled rasping that was emanating from her sister in between them as her sides heaved for breath. "Look in her coat! Alex. Alex, stay calm. Just stay calm...." 

"....Cass...."

Alex slumped into her arms then, and Cassie nearly shrieked when she looked down to discover that her sister's lips had a bluish tint to them and that she was clawing at her throat, her eyes starting to turn glassy as she arching in her arms, a gurgling wheeze signifying that her airway had closed. "_ALEX!_"


	6. Salvation

Disclaimer: If I owned the turtles, would I be struggling to make payments on my computer?

By the way, sorry this was so long in coming. I'm currently fighting a bad bought of severe depression, and it's making a big dent in the whole fanfiction writing thing. I still can't promise when more chapters will show up, but they will pop up every now and again -- Lashana

Chapter 6 : Salvation

"_ALEX!_"

"Oh, shit! Quick, lie her on her back!" Not waiting, Mikey took Alex from Cassie's arms and lay her on the floor, snapping his head up to look towards a now frantically searching Donatello. "Donnie!"

"It's not here!" came the equally panicked yell. "Cassie, where else could her inhaler be?!"

"I don't know! Alex? Alex, sweetie, shh. It'll be okay...." her voice cracked mid-sentence as she looked up at Raphael, a ray of hope breaking through her panic. "My jacket! Her spare inhaler's in my jacket!"

"On it!"

"Leo, go get Splinter! He might have something that'll help!" Donatello knelt on Alex's other side as he spoke, not needing to look up to know that his brother was already racing to their sensei's room. Instead, he turned his attention to a near hysterical Cassie. "Does she have an epinephrine syringe?"

"English, Donnie!" Mike cried. "English!"

"Argh... An Epi-Pen!"

The familiar term made her hold her breath for a moment before she lunged to her feet and went for her sister's backpack, upending it onto the bed and searching through it's contents. "Oh shit... where the hell is it... _RAPH! What the hell's taking you so long?!_ ...got it!" Heart pounding, she ripped the needle from it's specialized casing and tossed it to Mikey, watching as he immediately embedded it into Alex's left thigh, the dose of adrenaline quickly draining from the syringe. 

Raphael barrelled into the room seconds later and thrust her jacket into her shaking hands. "Here! There's too many damned pockets!"

If it had been any other time, she would have shot back a sharp retort, but since her mind was nearing the edge of sheer hysteria, she chose to ignore him. Instead, she ripped open the right lower pocket, disregarding the fact that she had just destroyed the zipper there as she closed her fingers around a familiar object. "Yes!"

Throwing the jacket aside, she threw herself to the floor and cradled Alex's head with her left arm, lifting her a little as she held the inhaler to her lips and deployed a burst of the medication. "...don't you do this to me... please don't do this to me...." She was dimly aware of Leonardo and Splinter appearing in the doorway as she spoke, tears stinging her eyes as she stared down at her sister, not even flinching when Mikey lay a hand on her back.

The few seconds that passed in terrified silence seemed like an eternity. So much so that the sudden ragged gasp from the form in her arms made Cassie loose a short shriek of fear before she hauled a once again breathing Alex into her arms and hugged her tightly, rocking back and forth as she held her, completely unaware of the huge chorus of relieved sighs from all around her.

It was a few moments before Donatello dared to try to take Alex from Cassie, and even then, Mikey had to gently pry her arms away from her sister, letting him scoop the frail form into his arms and relocate her to the bed. 

Shaking, Cassie pushed the inhaler into Mike's hands and leapt to her feet, pushing past a frowning Leonardo before running for the bathroom and kicking the door shut behind her. Even though she hadn't eaten anything, her stomach felt that it was a good idea to go through the actions of throwing up, and she could do nothing but sob for breath once the dry heaves had passed, leaving her trembling so powerfully that she had trouble staying upright.

Moving on automatic, she flushed the toilet and staggered over to the sink, turning the cold water tap full on and cupping her hands under the frigid cascade before quickly splashing herself in the face. The cold shock, while a relief from the sweat that had gathered on her forehead, did nothing for her nerves, so it was no surprise that after turning off the tap it took her five tries to close her hand on a nearby towel.

Struggling for balance, she slowly stepped back out into the hallway, easily hearing the voices from Alex's room as she leaned back against the wall and buried her face in her hands, dimly aware of the pain in her back as she slid down the wall and sat on the floor, her knees curled up against her chest. _So close... I almost lost her... _

"Cassie? Hey, she's okay, it's okay now...." Michelangelo crouched down in front of her as he spoke, reaching out to lie a hand on her shoulder as he did so. "Hey, it's--"

"Don't tell me that 'it's okay'!" she snapped, raising her face from her hands to glare at him. "It's not okay! It never will be! He's not even here and he can still sink his claws into us! How the hell is that okay?!"

He sighed and looked at her solemnly. "It isn't," he whispered, holding her gaze for a moment before she shuddered and looked away. "It isn't okay. It never will be. But we're here to help you, Cassie. You... you just have to trust us."

She let the breath she had been unconsciously holding out in a sob and closed her eyes, not resisting when he gently reached out and pulled her trembling form into his arms, letting her bury her face against his shoulder. "....I don't know what to do anymore...."

"We'll figure something out," Mikey told her, trying not to aggravate her wounds as he held her. "I promise. Besides, worse comes to worse, there's four ninjas here to protect you. And let me tell you, we're not just your ordinary ninjas here!"

"Stop that," she mumbled, trying not to smile as she weakly rubbed at her eyes and let him pull her to her feet. "Stop trying to cheer me up."

"Aw, but you're pretty when you smile," he told her, feeling relief wash through him when just the ghost of a smile spread over her lips, telling him that she wasn't nearly as close to a total breakdown as he feared. "Aha! See? I bet even Raph agrees with me!"

"Agree with what?" 

The rough growl preceded the turtle that leaned out of Alex's room and Mikey winked at the girl he was helping as they walked towards the room. "That she's pretty when she smiles."

Raph blinked and glanced from his brother to Cassie, biting back a sharp retort when she didn't even meet his gaze. It looked like someone had just ripped her apart, and he truly didn't want to add to the emotional scars she had. "....yeah." When she startled and jerked her head up to stare at him, he frowned and headed back into the room. "So what if she is?"

"I'll be damned," Michelangelo grinned, glancing at a still visibly surprised Cassie. "He likes you."

"I do not!" came the grumbled protest.

Ignoring his brother, Mikey ushered Cassie into the room and looked over at the small form on the bed, sighing softly when he saw Splinter leaning over her. "Master Splinter? Is she?"

"She is resting comfortably now," their teacher and father answered, relief very audible in his voice. Pulling away from Alex, he turned and looked at an even paler Cassie, who was still clinging to Michelangelo for balance as she stared at her sister. "She will recover with no ill effects, Cassandra. Her fear aggravated her asthma, a fact that was not aided by her current condition." He gestured to an IV line that Donatello had set up and saw her eyes widen. "Antibiotics. To help her heal."

"She's not allergic to any medications, is she?" Donnie asked, looking over at Cassie and nodding in relief when she shook her head. "You don't look so good yourself. C'mon, let's--"

"I'm not leaving her."

"But--"

"No." Cassie pushed away from Mike and sent a glare at the four turtles as she repeated herself. "I'm not leaving her. You can't make me."

"Oh, yes we can," Raph growled as he grabbed her left wrist, eyes widening when she spun around faster than he thought she could move, and he automatically rose his free hand to catch her right fist, stopping it mere inches from his face. "_Shit_--"

"Raphael, let her go," Splinter ordered, seeing his son glance at him once before obeying, releasing the girl and stepping back. "I agree, Cassandra. When Alex awakens, she will need to see a familiar face. But once she is awake, you must look to yourself. You can do her no good if you wear yourself out."

She looked at him in surprise, but nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled gently and gestured to the chair that was by the bed, set up just for her. "All I ask is that you allow Donatello to continue monitoring Alex's health... and your own as well." When she nodded again, he gave her arm a reassuring pat and left the room, fully intending to see which herbs he still had that would help them both recover.

Avoiding the gazes of the turtles around her, Cassie silently moved over to the chair and dropped down onto it, leaning forward to take Alex's left hand in both of hers, closing her eyes at the clammy feel of her sister's skin. "....sorry," she whispered, knowing that the four were still standing around the room. "I didn't mean to lose it like that."

"We weren't exactly calm and collected ourselves," Donnie murmured to her from where he was sitting on Alex's opposite side, keeping an eye on the IV line and Alex's breathing. Knowing that asking if she was alright was probably along the lines of the stupidest question possible at the moment, he stuck with the problems at hand, figuring that if he explained what he was doing to help Alex, it may calm some of Cassie's frayed nerves. "Alex will be fine, by the way. She's got a low grade case of bronchitis. Luckily we caught it before it could turn worse. The IV's just some general antibiotics, and I'm sure you can smell the Vicks. I didn't want to give her another dose of her inhaler just yet, too much could be detrimental to her at this point."

"Yeah, lucky us that Donnie here knows one of the docs at the General Hospital," Mikey added with a grin as he sent a meaningful glance at a silent Raph. "Gives us meds and bandages so we can treat the accident prone members of this family."

"Hey! I ain't accident prone!"

Leo actually cracked a smile. "Well, that's true--"

"Damn right."

"--but you do have this nasty habit of getting into fights you can't handle."

Raphael growled at that but let it slide, something that surprised his brothers. "Shaddup, Leo."

Not really knowing what to make of Raph's odd behaviour, Mikey turned his attention to Cassie, who was watching them silently. "Don't mind us. We're dysfunctional."

"He said it, not me," Don smirked, raising his hands as if to ward off an attack when Raph glared at him.

Leo, meanwhile, moved to crouch by Cassie's side, lightly resting a hand on her shoulder as he gazed at a pale Alex. "As soon as the medication kicks in, she'll be back to normal in no time. Just in case, Donnie's going to go see that contact of his tonight and get another Epi-Pen and an extra inhaler. Is there anything else you think she'll need?"

"There was something I remember one of Murdock's call-in doctors mention. It was a preventative medication to control her asthma so that she could live a more normal life," she frowned, trying to recall what had been said. "It was another kind of inhaler, I think they called it Advair."

"Yeah. I've heard about it," Donatello nodded. "I'll mention it tonight. See if I can get a few trial doses for her."

"So what about you?" Mikey pitched in, looking at her worriedly. "You need anything, Cassie?"

She didn't even hesitate as she followed Leo's gaze and stared at her little sister. "I need her to get better."

"What about what you needed to get from the pharmacy?" Leo reminded her, meeting her gaze when she looked at him in confusion. "Alex's birthday, remember?"

That got Mikey's attention. "Hey, whoa! Today's her birthday? Why didn't anyone tell me?! Hey, Donnie, when'll she wake up? Do I still have time to make a cake? Oh, damn! I need supplies! Where's the phone?! I gotta call April!"

"Don't mind him," Donnie smiled, having seen the baffled look that Cassie sent after the turtle that had just bolted for the phone. "When he's stressed, he cooks. It's just something he does. Well, that and he thinks that a good party can cure anything."

"I'd better go stop him," Leo muttered as he straightened. "I don't think he realises that it's only six thirty in the morning and that Ape won't be up for another hour."

Raph frowned as his brother hurriedly went after Mikey and took a second to glance after him before returning his gaze to the pale form on the bed, clenching his fists as he watched her take weakened breaths. This was something he just didn't understand. Sure, he understood how someone could like a good fight, even if it was just to let off some steam - after all, he did it all the time - but to mess up your own kids.... it was just downright sick. He almost hoped he'd get to meet the bastard that did this, then he'd show the coward what a _real _beating was like.

Oblivious to his brother's internal thoughts, Don check the IV line again to make sure everything was going smoothly, then frowned at the ever watchful presence on the opposite side of the bed. "Cassie? Hey, maybe you should let me check your vitals, you're really pale."

"I'm alright," she muttered, not even bothering to look at him as she reached up to gently smooth the tangled bangs off of Alex's forehead. Almost without realising it, she let another whisper leave her, so distracted was she with her sister's current situation. "I've been hurt worse than this.... I always survive. This is no different...."

"Yes it is." When she jerked her gaze up to meet his, Donnie frowned and hesitantly reached out to lay his own hand over hers, feeling her try to hide a tremble as her fingers tightened around Alex's hand. "This time you have help. We can keep you safe, both of you. You just have to trust us. And if you can't do that, then at least believe that we're not going to hurt you. Okay?"

She stared at him long and hard for a few seconds before sighing and nodding slightly. "I believe you. It's just...."

"It's okay," he told her, mustering up a faint smile as he pulled his hand away from hers. "To quote Leo : trust comes with time. And until that time comes," he paused to snatch a thermometer off the nightstand and held it out to her. "I'll just diagnose from a distance."

Surprised at how easily he seemed to accept the situation, Cassie automatically reached out and plucked the thermometer out of his fingers, giving it a quick glance before sighing in defeat and putting it in her mouth. Dimly aware that Donnie was saying something about keeping the thermometer under her tongue for a whole minute, she turned her attention back to her sister and stifled another sigh, really wishing that Alex was awake - if only so that she could rid herself of the icy fear that was knotting her stomach. Even after having witnessed her sister's asthma attacks for years, it still panicked her every single time. And this time had been much, much worse. _Another minute or two, and she might have died...._

"Time."

Jerking slightly in surprise as she was pulled out of her morose thoughts, she gratefully rid herself of the thermometer and glanced at it's reading, grimacing again as she handed it to Don. "One o' five."

"Damn. I was afraid of that," he murmured to himself as he got to his feet and headed for the door. "Be right back. Raph.... uh.... don't be yourself."

"What's tha' supposed ta mean?" the red banded turtle shot back as the brainiac headed for his lab, where he kept any and all of his computers, electronics, experiments and various medicines. Taking a moment to vow that he'd get Donnie back for that comment later, he folded his arms over his plastron and leaned back against a wall, gazing over at the only other conscious person in the room. "Ya caught me off guard before, not many people can do that ta me."

Cassie glanced at him and winced. "I didn't mean to. It's a.... a reflex now, to attack whoever grabs me like that."

"Good reflex ta have."

"Is it?"

He frowned at the sharp retort. "Better than being a wuss. At least ya fight back and don't let 'im win. Not the way he wants anyway."

"You call this," she pointed to her back, "'not letting him win'?"

"I call the fact that ya kept him from touchin' yer sister and that he didn't break yer spirit, winnin'."

Cassie shook her head and gave a harsh bark of laughter. "My spirit? What a farce. Doesn't make any of this better, does it?"

"Kept yer sis alive, didn't it? Or doesn't that count?"

The low growl made her jerk as if he had physically hit her, and she turned to look at him where he stood against the wall. "Of course it counts! If I didn't have Alex I would have killed myself years ago! Better death than to let that filthy pig touch me again!"

"Um...." The soft mumble drew their gazes to the doorway, where Donnie was standing with a glass of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. Knowing that he had walked in on what could possibly turn out to be a rather heated verbal fight, he shifted uncomfortably and glanced at his brother, wincing at the very familiar look of dangerous annoyance that he saw. Figuring that he really shouldn't say anything about what he had walked in on, he sidled around Raph and moved over to Cassie, holding out the water and pill bottle. "Here. You're not allergic to any meds right? No? Good. Your fever's probably caused by the severe infection in those wounds on your back. These are antibiotics, a bit stronger than what I'm giving Alex, since you don't seem to be as weak as she is right now. It's... uh... one tablet every four hours for the first day, give your system a good boost of meds. Then one pill every eight hours for the next week or so. Okay?"

She nodded and numbly took the water and pills from him, very aware of his gaze on her as she took her first dose of medication. "How strong are these?"

"Five hundred milligrams a pill. It'll probably knock you out. One of us will remind you though." Don studied her as he spoke, not liking how pale she was, or how dark the circles under her eyes were. _Geez, did she get **any** sleep last night? Actually, given how sick I think she really is, I'm amazed she's managed to stay conscious this long._ "Hey, why don't you stretch out next to Alex and get a bit of sleep? Even if you don't sleep, I think you should at the very least lie down."

"....okay." Moving stiffly, she got to her feet and pushed away the waves of pain that her back sent through her as she sidestepped around Donnie, avoiding touching him as she moved to the opposite side of the bed and carefully ducked under the IV line that was attached to her sister.

Raph frowned as he watched Cass gently arrange Alex so that the kid was lying on her left side before she stretched out beside her and 'spooned' against her little sister, one arm laid out so that Alex could pillow her head on her bicep. He growled under his breath and glanced at Don, who returned the frown, the two of them sharing an unspoken understanding. _So she can watch the door. Damn...._

"If you need anything, just yell," Donnie said as he ushered Raph out the door, closing it behind him once they were out of the subway car. "Oh God...."

"Yeah," Raph muttered in agreement as he turned and strode over to the couch, throwing himself down onto it. "They've had it bad."

Don shook his head and rose a hand to work a kink out of the back of his neck as he moved away from the door, not wanting Cassie to hear their conversation. "Bad? Bad doesn't even begin to describe what they've been through, Raph. I can't even imagine what it was like for them.... even if I could, I doubt I'd want to."

"Want to what?" Leo frowned as he and Mikey joined them, having caught only the tail end of the conversation. "Are they okay?"

"As much as they can be," the purple banded turtle shrugged. "Alex is still asleep, and Cassie's with her. I had to put Cassie on antibiotics. She didn't let me fully examine her, but she's got a fever. I think it's caused by the severe infection in her back."

"So what you're telling me is that those gashes have been there longer than just a few days."

"Actually, bro. The fresh one's have," Mikey told him as he dropped into the armchair, his exuberant energy turning more solemn. "But there's dozens of older cuts that look like they're months old. An there's scars all over her back, sides and arms."

Leo sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Alright, so I take it we're all agreed that those two are staying here until we figure out what to do about their father?" When his brothers nodded, he smiled grimly and glanced at Donnie. "Any luck with the hacking?"

"Not yet. But there's bound to be evidence of what he's doing _somewhere._ You'd think that as a crimelord, there'd be records of not only a name change, but of transactions as well. I just have to figure out where to look."

"Okay. Keep on it. For now though," he looked at the trio in front of him and pointed towards the dojo. "Practice." 

A chorus of groans and thrown pillows were his reply.

Replies!!

Ashley - Glad you like the story! As for the updating thing, well, as my note said above, I'm going through a bad time as of late. I can't promise consistent updates just yet, but I can promise you that I am in no way even thinking of letting this story end up in limbo. It will just take me a while to get myself back up to something akin to 'normal' again. ^_^

tmntpunker - Oh dear. I hope you haven't given yourself a concussion! Given the lack of an update for a while, those poor walls must be heavily dented by now! *snickers* Either way, thank you much for the review, but don't pull your hair out like that. Bald spots would look rather odd, no?

Vespera - Wow! I'm honoured by the high praise! Honestly, my characters just come to me and then bang around in my head until I'm forced to write a story! And putting emotion into a fic is always what I strive to do. Getting the reader hooked on a situation so that they sit there saying 'where's the next chapter! I wanna know what happens!' is always a sign that I'm doing a good job. Once again, thanks.

Ramica - Yes. Raph. The enigma of the group. He'll try his best to make everyone think that he just doesn't give a damn, and yet under all the walls he's put around himself, but when things turn bad, he'll be the first to jump in to protect his brothers or an innocent. I've always seen him that way. Maybe I'm wrong, but eh, I don't care. Sorry about dangling like a... pavlonian dog *smirk* Evil cliff-hangers just tend to pop out every now and again.

SeabreezeSwiftdeath - Glad you like our stories so much! *grins* As for the whole hating of cliff-hangers *shrugs* Every now and again the urge hits me to throw one out there. Think of it this way - at least not every chapter has a cliff-hanger! And Nora Roberts huh? Can't say I've ever read any of her stuff. I'm more of a Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffery, Tanya Huff kind of person. 

HeartofJade - More high praise! Wow. I'm so honoured! Glad you like this story and Darkness of the Moon! For a while, I was wondering if anyone was going to read that one... Hope you liked the chapter that ended the cliff-hanger!

Feel free to add your comments by clicking the little purple box below *points*


	7. The Healing Path

I don't own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Though I wish I owned Raph...). Cassie & Alex are mine, however, so no touchy.

Chapter 7 : The Healing Path

The familiar sensation of a warm body curled around her back greeted Alex's consciousness almost four hours after she had suffered her nearly fatal panic attack, and she took a moment to revel in the safe feeling of having her sister holding her before she slowly opened her eyes and blinked at the turtle that was sitting in a nearby chair, his attention completely immersed in a comic book. "Mikey?"

The soft whisper startled him, and he instinctively started reaching for his nunchuckus before he realised what had woken him. Embarrassed at his reaction, he forced a smile and met the sleepy hazel gaze that belonged to the young teenager. "Hey, there. How're you feelin'?"

"A little better," Alex murmured, hearing Cassie mumble something in her sleep as her big sister pulled her closer until her head was firmly tucked under her chin.

Mikey grinned at the scene, remembering how he'd woken Cassie when he'd first come in to take watch - a precaution that Donnie suggested they take, in case Alex's breathing deteriorated again. What had surprised him what that even with his ninja stealth, Cassie had still woken up the moment he'd entered the room, though once she had recognised him, she had gone back to sleep afterwards. 

"What's with the IV?" Alex frowned, raising her right hand to look at the needle that was embedded in the back of her hand.

"Oh, that's just for some meds that Donnie's giving you. You've got bronchitis, and that stuffs gonna nip it in the bud." Trying to lighten the mood and really wanting to get that solemn look out of her eyes, he smiled at her warmly and leaned forward a bit. "Are ya hungry? I can whip something up for you lickety-split if you want."

"Sure. I kinda need to use the washroom anyway." She paused and carefully started to pull away from Cassie, smiling when her sister grumbled in annoyance and cracked an eye open to look at her. "S'okay, I just wanna get up."

"Y'sick," Cassie mumbled. "Shoul'dn be movin' r'und."

"Hey, I'll take good care of her," Mikey promised as he rose to his feet and rose a hand to gesture over his plastron. "Cross my heart. I'll even carry her around so she doesn't have to walk."

Alex met the sleepy light blue gaze of her sister and pouted. "Please, Cassie?"

"Yeah, please Cassie?" 

A chuckle actually left her at Mikey's pleading tone, and Cassie nodded as she uncurled her arm from around Alex's waist, letting the turtle carefully scoop the small form into his arms, and she smirked a little as she watched him manage to cradle Alex while simultaneously keeping a hand closed on the wheeled IV pole that held her sister's medicine. "Geddout and lemme sleep."

"Yes sir... er I mean ma'am!" Snickering at the grimace that she gave him at that little slip of the tongue, he somehow succeeded in juggling Alex and the IV pole while managing to open the door and walk out into the wide open space of the main section of the lair. "Hey, guys! Look who's awake!"

Donnie poked his head out of the lab at the call and blinked before letting a grin spread over his lips. "Alex! Hey, how are you feeling?"

"A bit better," she shrugged as he walked over to them. "Kinda tired though."

"That's probably the antibiotics. One more day, and I'll take that IV line out and put you on pills, like Cassie," Don told her as he took the IV pole from Mikey before his brother accidentally dropped her. "You up for some food? It'd do you good."

"Uh-uh, pit stop first bro," Mikey said as he headed for the hallway, trusting Donnie to follow with the IV. "You... ah... don't need help....right?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm sick, not an invalid."

He chuckled and gently set her on her feet in front of the bathroom door. "Right. Forget I asked."

"Oh damn," Donnie muttered suddenly, drawing his brother's gaze as Alex took hold of the IV pole and wheeled it into the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind her. "Is Cassie up too?"

"Naw, she went back to sleep. Why?"

"Gotta make sure she takes her meds," he called back as he turned and headed back to Leo's room, where the oldest of the two girls was supposedly still sleeping. Taking care not to startle her in case she threw something at his head, Donnie quietly slid the door open and peeked in at the form that was sprawled out on her stomach on the bed. "Cassie? Hey, Cassie?"

She jerked at the call and rose her head of the pillow, looking around for a moment before settling her gaze on Donnie. "Wha?"

"Take your pill."

"Nugh."

He stifled a chuckle at the annoyed grumble and watched as she gingerly sat up and raked her fingers through her tousled hair. "You don't have to get up."

"Mrn... wanna shower," she mumbled, her words even more garbled with the yawn she let out as she blindly reached for the pill bottle on the night table, closing her fingers around it as she got to her feet and staggered towards the door. "Where's 'Lex?"

"Bathroom. Mikey's gonna make her some lunch afterwards." He stepped out of the way as she shuffled past him and followed her as she headed for the bathroom. "You want anything?"

Cassie yawned again and rose her free hand to rub at her eyes, trying to force the tiredness from herself as she walked. "Not yet.... but thanks."

"Hey, Cassie." Mikey smiled when he saw her and caught the slight smile she sent in return when she saw her sister cradled in his arms. "Bathroom's free now."

"Do tell." Smirking, Cassie, quirked an eyebrow at her sister. "Comfortable?"

Alex blushed. "Shaddup."

"Gee, this sounds familiar," Donnie chuckled as he and Mikey exchanged amused glances.

"I know." Still smiling, Mikey turned his attention to the one who was playfully ruffling Alex's hair. "Hey, Cassie, if you're takin' a shower, I'll put new bandages on when you're done. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. So long as you feed my sister. She's a stick."

"Hey! I resent that!" Alex protested, grumbling when Cassie stepped out of her reach, keeping her from smacking her older sister and then glaring at the two turtles when they chuckled.

"Sorry, sweetie, but it's true," she said in parting as she stepped around a snickering Mikey and ducked into the bathroom, closing the door before her sister could retaliate. Once she was sure that the door was locked, Cassie set the pill bottle on the edge of the sick and stripped out of her shirt, frowning at the bruises, scrapes and scars that adorned her torso. 

Deciding that she didn't want to dwell on this longer than she had to, she reached out to turn on the shower and, while waiting for it to achieve something other than 'arctic', gingerly peeled the large bandage off her back, biting her lip as she did so. Owowow!! Since screaming was not an option - as it would just panic all the guys and her sister - she settled for swearing continuously under her breath as she shoved the filthy bandage into the garbage can under the sink and turned to inspect the shower again, relieved to discover that the water was nice and warm.

Her urge to feel clean overriding the knowledge that it would probably hurt like hell to have water stream down her back, she hopped out of the rest of her clothes and stepped under the steady stream, clenching her eyes shut at the pain that followed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.... 

Luckily for her, she had taken many years in perfecting her stubbornness and her ability to not only adapt to pain, but to ignore it as well. Thus, she grabbed the bar of soap that was sitting on the edge of the tub and proceeded to scrub herself clean, even going as far as to use said bar to wash her hair since she didn't see any available shampoo. Duh, they don't have hair. Why the hell would they have shampoo?

It was almost half an hour later when she deemed herself clean, and spurred on by the sudden lack of hot water, she quickly turned off the taps and stepped out of the tub, snatching a nearby towel as she did so. Drying herself off without aggravating the wounds on her back was an adventure into itself, so much so that in the end she didn't even bother trying to dry off her back, centring her attention instead on drying the rest of herself off before wringing the water from her hair.

Just as she was about to pull her underwear and shorts back on, the door quivered under the force of a powerful knock, and she blinked as she looked over at it. "What?"

"You still alive in there?"

She rolled her eyes and wriggled into her t-shirt. "Yes, Leo. Just give me a second." She raked her fingers through her still considerably wet hair a final time before grabbing her pill bottle and opening the door, meeting the turtle's worried gaze. "I think I used all the hot water."

He glanced past her into the steam filled room and arched an eyeridge. "That's okay. You needed it. C'mon, the others are wondering if you've drowned yourself."

"How exactly can someone drown while taking a shower?"

Chuckling at her tone, he shook his head and glanced at her. "Dunno. Maybe they think you're a klutz."

"Wisecracking...." She let her comment trail off as she followed Leo into the kitchen, blinking when she was immediately set upon by Mikey, who ushered her over to the kitchen table and plunked her down onto a chair next to Alex, setting a glass of water in front of her afterwards.

"Take your pill," Donnie told her as Mikey went to rummage through the fridge, smirking when she shot him a look of annoyance.

"Have they been like this the entire time I was in there?" Cassie asked Alex as she obligingly popped one of the antibiotics into her mouth and swallowed it along with a long drink of water.

"Pretty much," her sister nodded.

"Okay, girls, whaddya want to eat?" Mikey asked as he gave up his search of the fridge and turned his attention to the cupboards. "Ooo! Pancake mix! You want pancakes?"

Cassie exchanged glances with Alex and shrugged. "Um.... sure?"

Suspicious at her answer, Leo moved to sit across from them and frowned. "You don't sound too sure."

"It's just that.... we never kinda had pancakes before," Alex explained sheepishly. "I didn't know what apple pie tasted like until we got to New York and went to that diner."

Don and Mikey glanced at each other before turning their full attentions to the newest conversation, curiousity and dread mixing together. 

"Didn't he... feed you?" Donnie asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Well, yeah. But...."

"He had us on a strict food regimen," Alex finished for Cassie, who looked seriously unsure about all of this. "He didn't want us to get fat."

Leo's gaze darkened. "How strict a....food regimen?"

Shrugging as if she didn't know why this was such a big deal, Alex recounted the meal plan that she and her sister had been following for years, completely ignoring Cassie's attempts to get her to shut up. "Well, for breakfast we got six ounces of skim milk and either half a small white grapefruit or two pieces of multi-grain toast with a teaspoon of non-dairy, non-fat spread. Lunch was half a cup of cold pasta, three crackers, a pear and six ounces of water, though sometimes we'd get a treat and we could have four strawberries instead of the pear. And then for supper it's one-third cup of mixed vegetables with three ounces of meat with either a small potato or a third cup of rice or pasta along with six ounces of water."

Cassie winced and avoided the turtles gazes, tensing as the guys horrified silence seemed to stretch out for hours. It wasn't until a low growl erupted from behind her that she realised that Raphael had walked into the kitchen during Alex's little explanation, and she shivered a little when she felt his gaze on her.

"Leo, I'm gonna--"

"Not now, Raph," Leo said, cutting his brother off as he gave an almost unperceivable nod in Cassie's direction.

"No wonder you two are sick. You're so malnourished it's a miracle you're still alive." Donnie's voice was soft with horror as he looked at them, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. The same realisations seemed to be taking place with his brothers as well, and he wondered if his face held the same mixed looks of concern and anger.

Shaking his head, Mikey turned to the cupboards again. "All this means is that we have to put some meat on their bones," he said as he gathered snacks into his arms. "Ack! Raph!! Did you eat all the Doritos again?" 

Almost immediately, the scientific part of Donnie's brain kicked into overdrive. "Mikey, no! They need to gain healthy weight, not fat."

"Uh... what's the diff?"

Alex blinked and looked over at Cassie, who had her chin propped up on a fist as she watched the two turtles start discussing the merits and downsides of junk food when gaining weight. "I shouldn't have told them that, should I?"

"Nothing much to do about it now, sweetie," Cassie murmured as she turned to look at her. "It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Hey, wait a minute." Curiousity dulling the edge of his anger, Raph stepped around Cassie's chair so he could see her face and frowned. "If that was all ya were supposed ta have, then how the hell didja know about the beer being Lite?"

She grinned. "I excelled at sneaking out of our room and stealing food. Nothing grand though, crackers, bread, a few cans of tuna, and I gave most of it to her," she jerked a thumb at Alex. "Used to grab a few bottles of suds when I could. Never got drunk, mind you, but after a bad session with dear ol' dad, the booze took the edge off of the pain."

Leo, while not approving of stealing or alcohol, nodded in understanding, knowing that in a situation like that, drastic measures had to be taken. He imagined that without Cassie's pilfering, the two would probably be even more malnourished than they already were. The conversation going on behind him took on an exasperated tone then, and he blinked as he glanced back at Donnie and Mikey, feeling a small bit of amusement wash through him as he tuned into what they were saying.

"Mikey, I'm telling you, popcorn is not going to do them any good."

"But it's made from corn, right? So doesn't that make it a vegetable?"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Only in your world, Mikey. They need healthy food. Like actual vegetables and meat and dairy."

"But... um, Donnie? Our money's low as it is, we can't afford all that," Leo reminded him morosely.

Cassie's eyes widened as her memory jumpstarted itself. "Oh! Alex, where's your backpack?"

"Still in Leo's room--" Alex trailed off as Cassie leapt from her chair and bolted out of the room, nearly running over Raph in the process. Shrugging at the looks of 'what's going on' that the guys were giving her, she glanced in the direction her sister had vanished in and blinked quizzically when Cassie raced back to them, not even the slightest out of breath. Show off.

"I almost forgot we had this," Cassie grinned as she spun her chair around and straddled it, digging into the depths of her sister's backpack as she did so. Aware of the confused gazes of the turtles, she gave them a brief run down of what this was all about. "See, before we hitchhiked to New York, we stopped at a bank, where I proceeded to steal seven thousand dollars off of my father's credit card. Jammed the card in the ATM when I was finished."

"Whoa, wait. Wait," Raph met her gaze when she glanced up at him and stared at her in disbelief. "Seven thousand dollars?!"

"S'what I said." Smiling, she closed her fingers around three carefully bundled wads of money and reached out to slap them onto the table. "There's three."

Mikey gaped. "Bro's have you got the sudden urge to throw the money on the floor and roll in it?"

"W-we can't take this," Leo managed to stutter, eyes wide in shock. 

"Why not?" Tilting her head to the side, Alex frowned at the 'leader' of the turtles. "You're helping us, letting us stay here. Think of it as a.... a thank you. Besides, I know my sister, there's no way you're going to be able to change her mind about this. This is as close to trusting you that she can manage."

After shooting her sister a nasty glare, Cassie closed the backpack and dropped it into the floor by her feet, folding her arms on the chair afterwards as she fixed the turtles with a steady look. "Look.... I've never had to be thankful to anyone before, and no ones ever helped us as much as you have. All I know is that y'all are takin' care of us just because you're.... 'cause it's who you are. Y'all are the complete opposite of the kind of people Alex and I have been around all our lives, and quite frankly I have no clue how to act around you. And until all this nightmare is over with, I know you're gonna do your damnest to help us, even if it puts you in danger. So just take the damned money, consider it a thank you in advance for putting up with us and never make me admit this much again, okay?"

Surprised at the realisation that she had just lowered her guard enough for him to see that she was just as lost as Alex, Leo mustered up a smile and nodded, blinking in surprise when Mikey snatched up one of the bundles and breathed in it's scent. 

"I've always wanted to know what a grand smelled like," the turtle in orange beamed, eliciting a giggle from Alex and a groan of exasperation from Raph. "What? Ooo! Hey, does this mean we can risk a trip to the store tonight, Leo?"

"Yeah, looks like it," came the reply, followed by a roll of the eyes when Donnie, Mikey and Raph gave each other high-threes. "Mikey, before you start the list - which I know will be disgustingly long - patch Cassie up, will you?"

Mikey paused seconds before he was about to throw a fistful of bills into the air and blinked. "Oh! Oh, damn, I nearly forgot!"

"Gimme that." Using his brother's distraction to his advantage, Raph snatched the wad of money out of his hand and idly flipped through the bills, nodding in approval when he saw that it was all twenties. Small bills. Smart girl. When you don't want to be found, always use cash. His attention was drawn back to her as she somehow shucked out of her shirt while not revealing anything but her back, and his gaze darkened when he saw the marks there, new and old wounds crisscrossing in every which way. 

"Oh, by the way, don't try to stitch her up," Alex told Mikey as he shifted through the first aid kit that Donnie had just set onto the table for some antibiotic cream. "She always rips the stitches."

"Thank you, Nurse Alex," Cassie grumbled as she clutched her shirt to her chest and scowled at her sister. "Must you tell everyone all of my stupid stunts?"

"Why not? It's entertaining."

"Why you little...."

Donnie rolled his eyes at their banter and walked over to nudge Mikey in the side. "You fix something for lunch. I can do this," he told him, catching the grateful smile his bro shot him as the orange banded turtle went back to his previous mission of making pancakes. Easily locating the cream that had eluded Mike, he took a moment to go to the sink to wash his hands, glancing back at the girls as he did so. "If you don't mind me asking, who's the one who stitched you up? Couldn't have gone to a hospital, they'd have had to report it."

Cassie shrugged a little and lay one arm along the back of the chair, resting her chin on her wrist. "Not all of Murdock's people approved of what he was doing. One of his housecleaners risked her job and possibly her life to give us medical supplies. Nothing grand, but it was enough. Alex here, is the one who used to patch me up."

"Really?" When Alex nodded, Leo smiled a little, admiring her bravery. It couldn't have been easy to watch what her sister had been going through.

"Okay, this might sting a little, but.... ah... not as much as yesterday," Donnie said, waiting until he saw Cassie nod in understanding before he proceeded to spread the cream over her wounds, feeling the muscles of her back tense under his fingers as he worked. The shower had done her some good, it seemed. It had irrigated the wounds and washed off any infection that had been forced out by Splinters herbal remedy, and while the marks still looked horrible, he was certain that they would heal without any major complications. 

Wanting a distraction from the sensation of Donnie laying gauze over her tender wounds, Cassie turned her gaze on Leo and smirked. "So," she drawled, knowing that Alex recognised her playful mood. "How's your hand?"

Raph snickered at the look on Leo's face as his brother flexed his hand a little. "Wuss."

"Oh, shut up, Raph."

"Yeah, shut up, Raph," Cassie chipped in, grinning at him to make sure he knew she wasn't serious. "Don't pick on him when he's recovering."

Leo shook his head a little and looked at her, smiling slightly. "Don't encourage him."

"As if he needs encouragement," Donnie smirked, avoiding the glare that Raph sent him as he taped the large bandage in place and gave Cassie a gentle pat on the shoulder. "All done."

"Thanks." Moving gingerly, she used one hand to hold the front of her shirt in place and somehow managed to wriggle back into the rest of it, wincing a little as she did so. "Man, I will be so glad when this heals enough so that it's within my level of 'ignorable' pain." 

"Once the infection dies down you should be okay," Mikey told her as Don pushed him out of the way so he could get to the sink. "You'll have to take it easy though."

"Fat chance," Alex snorted. "'Take it easy' isn't in her vocabulary."

Deciding to show a grand amount of immaturity, Cassie stuck her tongue out at her sister, who returned the gesture. She was relieved to see the long missed cheerfulness in her little sister, so much so that she briefly let herself forget their nightmarish ordeals as she reached over and gently tickled her, chuckling when Alex loosed a shriek of laughter and tried to push her away.

Rolling his eyes at the sight, Raph met Mikey's gaze and smirked. "Kids."


	8. Downtime

Lashana owns only Cassie, Alex, and the plot. No ownership of the Ninja Turtles happening here. Please! Put. The lawyers. Away.

Chapter 8 - Downtime

"Another pancake?"

Cassie shook her head and rose a hand to keep Mikey from placing another pancake on her plate. "I'm full, thanks."

"But you only had three!"

"Unlike you, not everyone has a bottomless pit for a stomach," Donnie smirked, as he walked past his brother in orange and collected Cassie's empty plate. They had all migrated to the livingroom half an hour ago, ordered out of the kitchen by Mikey, who had argued that they were taking up too much space and cramping his cooking style. Cassie, Mikey and himself had taken over one couch, while Alex had gotten the armchair, leaving Raph and Leo to enjoy the floor, and while his brother's cooking was excellent as always, Donnie was afraid that Mikey's over-enthusiastic goal of wanting to help Cassie and Alex back to full health was going a bit too far. 

What surprised and slightly annoyed him the most, was that Mikey was aiming most of that enthusiasm towards Alex, and he truly didn't want to overanalyse that annoyance in case it lead to something that he didn't want to admit. The topic of his thoughts yawned then, and he smiled at her warmly when she curled up in the armchair, her heavy-lidded gaze glued to the TV screen, where one of the first hockey games of the season was playing.

Cassie, who seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her sister, got to her feet as soon as the next commercial came on, moving over to the armchair and reaching down to brush Alex's bangs out of her eyes. 

"Hey," she whispered, smiling as drowsy hazel eyes blinked at her. "Wanna go back to bed?"

Another yawn left her as Alex shook her head, raising a hand to rub at her eyes. "M'awake."

"Y'sure?"

"....no."

"Yeah, okay. Bed." Chuckling in amusement, Cassie scooped her sister into her arms and glanced at Leo as he shot to his feet. "Do me a favour and grab that IV tower, will you?"

"Maybe I should carry--" he trailed off at the look she gave him and held her gaze for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

"Damn straight," she muttered as she turned and headed for Alex's temporary room with him in tow and sighing as Alex rested her cheek against her shoulder. Her back was just starting to protest when she lay her sister down onto the bed, waiting until Leo had placed the IV stand next to the nightstand before taking a moment to brush Alex's hair out of her face. "I'll be right outside, okay? You need anything, just yell."

"M'kay," Alex mumbled, rolling onto her side and curling up as Cassie pulled the thin covers over her. "Close th'door...."

"No prob." Smiling a little, Cassie followed a silent Leo out of the room and closed the sliding door, knowing that neither of them could sleep if the door to wherever they were sleeping was open even the tiniest crack.

"She okay?" Donnie asked worriedly, relaxing when Cassie nodded and moved to retake her spot on the couch.

Once she had comfortably arranged herself against the pillows she had been given to lean back on, she looked over at a still worried looking Mikey who had taken over the armchair and mustered up a smile. "She's fine. Just tired."

"Either that or Mikey's cookin' knocked 'er out," Raph smirked, ducking the pillow that was thrown his way and retaliating with the TV Guide, chuckling when Mikey yelped and rubbed at his beak. 

"At least _try_ to keep it down," Leo chastised the two brothers as he headed for the dojo. "I'll be in the dojo, practicing. Like you should be."

"Sorry, Leo! No can do, we got ourselves some _lives_," Raph shot after him.

"Did you really?" Cassie grinned, drawing his gaze. "Did you get them on sale in a Dollar Store's bargain bin?"

He snorted, smirking as he turned back to the TV. "Shows what you know. Dollar Store's don't got bargain bins."

"So you paid a whole _three dollars? _Wow, you really went all out, didn't you?"

Scowling, he looked back at her over his left shoulder, staring at her for a moment before grunting and turning back to the TV again. "I'll let that go, considerin' that yer hurt an all."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Generous."

"Hardy, fuckin' har, har."

Mikey snickered and glanced at Donnie. "This just gets funnier and funnier."

"Oh, yeah?" Before Mikey could dodge, Raph launched himself at his brother and tackled him, their combined weight tipping the armchair over and leaving them to crash to the floor.

Cassie quirked an eyebrow at the two wrestlers that were rolling around on the floor and smirked. "Well, this is interesting," she murmured, glancing back at the TV when the game came back on and promptly throwing a pillow at the two fighters. "Hey! Shaddup, I can't hear the game!"

A sigh escaped Donnie as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, wondering what he'd done in a past life to deserve to be living with a bunch of wackos. 

A yelp and a muffled crash brought the wrestling to an end, and Raph lithely hopped to his feet and took a moment to brush dust off of himself before walking over to the couch and glaring down at Cassie. "Move yer legs."

Eyes glued to the screen, she carefully shifted and tucked her legs under herself, ignoring the pain from her bruises as she silently cheered on the New York Rangers. The cushions next to her dipped severely as Raph threw himself down next to her, and she waited until there was a lull in the game before looking at him where he was sprawled across as much of the couch as he could manage. "You're taking up an unreasonable amount of space."

"So?"

"Raph, don't be a idiot. Move over so she isn't plastered to the armrest, will you?" Donnie muttered, calmly meeting the glare that was turned on him. "Or didn't you notice those bruises on her legs and sides?"

Not wanting to admit that he hadn't noticed, he grumbled and moved aside, letting her uncurl herself from the corner. He growled seconds later when she propped her legs on his lap and turned to glare at her in annoyance, only succeeding in witnessing the brief look of agony that flitted across her face. _Dammit._ Scowling, he leaned back against the couch cushions and let her get comfortable, glancing over at her when she sighed in relief and sunk back into the pillows that were propping her up. 

Mikey grinned as he finished righting the arm chair and winked at Donnie before looking at Raph, figuring that he was safe from another attack as long as Cassie was using his bro as a leg rest. "Ain't so tough now, are ya puff 'n stuff?"

"Mikey, shaddup before I knock ya on yer ass."

"Give it a rest you guys. At least for a little while," Donnie sighed as he stood and picked up the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch, going over to cover an already fast asleep Cassie with it. "She must be exhausted, poor girl."

"Wow, konked out already?" Mikey frowned and glanced at Donnie. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good. She needs all the sleep she can get. No, Raph, don't move. Do me a favour and just stay there, okay?"

"What the hell do I look like, a foot rest?"

Mikey grinned. "Nah, you're way too loud."

Don rolled his eyes and lay a hand on Raph's shoulder, keeping the turtle from lunging at Mikey again. "Look, she needs the rest. If you move, it'll only wake her up. You're going to be watching TV all afternoon anyway, right?"

Grumbling, Raph sent a quick glance at the sleeping Cassie, then nodded. "Fine."

"Good." Smiling, Mikey dug a pen and a pad of paper from a pile of old comics on the floor next to the couch. "Then you can help me with the grocery list."

Raph frowned and looked at Don. "You owe me."

"I know, I know. Think of it as getting good karma," Donnie grinned as he turned and headed for his lab, where his computer lay waiting for him. "I'm gonna take another crack at finding some dirt on Murdock for a while."

"Great." Not overly impressed with his current situation, Raph carefully shifted a little so that he was slouched back against the couch, being careful not to wake Cassie as he did so. He knew she needed the rest, not that he was about to admit it to anyone. Shaking his head at his own weakness, he snatched at the remote and flipped through the channels while listening to Mikey babble on about what cake the girls would like as he worked on the shopping list. "Chocolate."

Mikey looked up from the paper and blinked at the other turtle. "Huh?"

"Ya asked me what kinda cake ya should make," he muttered as finished doing a full scan of the channels and ended back at the hockey game. "Chocolate. With vanilla icing."

"I was aiming for something a bit fancier, bro." Just as Raph opened his mouth to comment, an idea struck him, making him beam in excitement. "Ooo! Wait! I could make it a double decker! With strawberries and whipped cream between the two layers!"

Raph hissed and glared at him when Cassie shifted and murmured something in her sleep. "Keep it down, will ya?"

"Whoops. Sorry. Hey, um.... Raph?"

"_What,_ Mikey?"

He tried to hide a smile and fiddled with his pen for a few seconds, then glanced from a sleeping Cassie to his brother. "You like her, don't you?"

"I don't _like_ anybody. That includes you."

"Uh huh. Suuuuuure."

"Shut. Up."

~*~

"Booya! Shopping time!!"

Leo rolled his eyes as Mikey thrust a fist into the air in excitement and hid a smile from his enthusiastic brother, turning instead to exchange amused glances with Donnie. "Where's Raph?"

"Still pinned to the couch." Smirking, Donnie jerked a thumb out the kitchen doorway towards the turtle in red, who had yet to move from his current position of leg rest for a still sleeping Cassie. 

"Wow, he actually let her do that?"

"I _heard_ that, Leo!" Raph growled lowly, craning his neck to send a glare at him. "I can't bloody _move!_ I've been sittin' here fer two hours! Everytime I try ta shift her offa me, she does some sorta whimperin' thing in 'er sleep and acts like someone's gonna hit her."

"Reflex, probably," Donnie frowned, lowering his voice to a whisper as he and Leo walked over to him, leaning over the back of the couch to look at the sleeping girl. "Leo, I can patch her up, but we both know that's only the tip of the problem. They're both probably psychologically scarred. But it's not Alex I'm mainly worried about, it's Cassie." When the two turtles looked at him, he sighed and pushed away from the couch. "She's a lot like you, Raph. She bottles up her emotions, doesn't let anyone see what she's really feeling."

"This ain't about me, bro."

"I know that. But she's been through hell, and she's still holding everything inside of her. All I'm trying to do is give you an idea of what we can expect if.... or when, something gives."

Leo nodded in understanding. "She's already shown a few signs of breaking down, but just as soon as it starts to show, it vanishes just as quickly."

"Bastard father prob'ly wanted ta see her break," Raph muttered sourly, his right hand automatically dropping to grip the hilt of one of his sais.

"That's what I was thinking too." Sighing again, Don rose a hand and massaged his aching temples. "I just don't get some humans. And I _still_ can't find any connection between Murdock and the crime syndicate. It's driving me insane."

Shaking his head, Leo looked down at Cassie and frowned. "We should wake her up. I know she needed some things from the pharmacy. I promised her we'd get them for her, and since we're going out anyway...." Reaching out to touch her shoulder, Leo rose his voice to a more normal level and gently shook her. "Cassie? Hey, Cassie?"

The reaction was not one they were expecting.

With a yelp of fright, she snapped her eyes open and came up swinging, gasping in surprise when her fist smacked into a green palm and was held fast. Blinking, she went limp and sagged against the couch, looking up at Leo apologetically as Donnie and Raph stared at her in wary concern. "Sorry. Reflex. Um.... can I have my hand back?"

"I didn't mean to scare you like that," he told her as he released her hand, frowning when she curled up against the armrest of the couch, as if to make herself a smaller target. "I'm sorry."

"S'okay." Raking her fingers through her hair, Cassie took a few seconds to inform her heart that it really would be a good idea for it not to burst through her rib cage before looking at the three turtles again, wincing at the looks they were giving her. "So, um, what's up?"

"Uh, Leo said something about you needing stuff from the pharmacy," Donnie said, still surprised at her actions. A muffled yawn from the direction of Leo's room made him look over at the drowsy teenager that shoved the door open and looked out at them.

"Cassie? W'srong?"

"Oh, shit." Resisting the urge to smack herself for her stupidity, Cassie shoved herself to her feet and walked over to her sister, meeting the curious hazel gaze that was fixed on her. "False alarm, sweetie, go back to bed."

Even Raph frowned at that. "False alarm?" 

"Uh...." Swallowing nervously, she turned and looked at the trio. "S'just, sometimes he surprised us at night. We slept so that he'd have to get past me to wake her up."

"So you wake up screaming and she runs and hides?" Leo guessed, sighing heavily when he saw her nod. 

"It's reflex now. I.... uh, forgot where I was."

"You would," Alex muttered, elbowing her sister in the ribs and ducking away from the retaliatory gentle nudge. Yawning, she stretched her arms over her head, then froze in mid-stretch and eyed the needle in the back of her hand with a look of distain before running the fingers of her good hand through her tousled hair. "What's going on, anyway?"

"Hey, guys! I told Master Splinter we're headin' out and -- whoops!" Mikey cut himself off mid-sentence as he caught site of the two sisters and beamed at them. "Hey, you two, enjoy your naps? You look a bit better. Hey, we're headin' out to the store, you want anything special? How about a few sweets?"

"Orange juice!" Alex blurted, blinking when the four brothers looked at her oddly. "What?"

Struggling to hold back a snicker, Cassie took a moment to ruffle her sisters hair before heading back over to the couch and picking up the pad of paper and pen that was lying on the coffee table. "Y'all might wanna get your friend April to get this stuff," she told them as she started scribbling down a quick list of what she needed.

Raph grimaced. "This is more chick stuff, isn't it?"

"Yes. But lo' and behold, we just happen to be 'chicks'," she smirked, glancing up at him for a brief moment before returning her attention to the list. 

"Well, I guess we can ask her. Mikey, weren't you going to swing by Ape's place?" Leo asked, already halfway through formulating a plan.

"Yeah, dude. I need.... uh...." He sent a glance at Cassie and Alex. "....stuff." 

Leo rolled his eyes at his brothers lame ending and was dimly aware of Mikey glaring at a snickering Raph. "Okay. Then you can ask her to get that for us. I'll give you some money to give her for it. Cassie, will you two be alright here alone? Master Splinter will be here if any emergencies pop up."

"We've been takin' care of ourselves for years, Leo. We'll be fine," she told him as she finished writing the list and ripped the paper off of the pad, folding it once before giving it to Mikey. "Thanks, by the way."

"Ah, no prob," he grinned, winking at her cheerfully as he headed over to a worn coat rack and grabbed his trenchcoat and fedora. "Leo, don't skip anything on my list, okay? Donnie, that goes double for you."

"Geez, forget one thing on his precious list and it'll haunt you for the rest of your life," Donnie muttered under his breath, smiling a little when Alex snickered. "I'm glad you think that's funny. Just you wait until you forget something idiotic like a ravioli crimper. He'll never let you forget it."

"I don't want to know," Cassie announced with a grin. "Anyway, yes, Leo, we'll be fine. Quit hovering already."

Raphael waited until Leo and Donnie had headed for their own coats and thus moved far enough away so as not to overhear him, then leaned towards Cassie. "Miller Draft okay with you?" he whispered, seeing her arch an eyebrow at him curiously before she nodded. "Good."

Grinning, Alex sidled over to her sister once Raph had joined the others and poked her in the arm, her voice a teasing sing-song melody that was audible to everyone in the lair. "Somebody likes you!"

"Ack!" Glaring and trying very hard not to let the four turtles see she was blushing, she rounded on her sister and pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You! No matchmaking! Or I'll.... I'll.... I'll bleach your Backstreet Boys shirt!"

"Eep. Point taken!" Still grinning, Alex rose her hands in defeat and backed away from her sister, snickering when she saw Mikey teasing a glowering Raphael.

"We'll be back soon," Leo chuckled, catching a glimpse of Cassie's flushed cheeks as she sent a distracted wave in their direction and stalked into the kitchen. Glad to see that the moods of the two girls seemed to be lightening, he glanced back at Raph who had a still snickering Mikey in a headlock and resisted the urge to join in and add a little jab of his own. Instead, he rolled his eyes and exchanged amused smirks with Donnie before heading topside.

TBC


	9. Confessions

I don't own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Though I wish I owned Raph...). Cassie & Alex are mine, however, so no touchy.

Chapter 9 - Confessions

Michelangelo grimaced at the sight of the well-lit street corner ahead of him as he strode down the street towards April's apartment building, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his trench coat while his fedora was tugged low to hide his face. He never liked this. This sneaking around, always hiding in the shadows. He didn't think he'd ever understand most humans, or why they felt the need to scream and run whenever they caught a glimpse of him.

Okay, true, the sight of a giant mutant turtle could be disconcerting, he could give them that.... but they never really took the time to see that he was just like them, underneath it all. But there were times, like when he looked into Cassie's eyes, that he wondered if he and his brothers weren't better off, only keeping in contact with certain humans. Why a father would do that to his own kids, he'd never understand. And people called _him_ a freak.

He wondered if that was why Raph hated humans that much. Well, most humans. Mikey knew that Raph had a soft spot for April, and a very strong friendship - if one could call it that - with Casey Jones, but other than those two, Raph rarely seemed to care about what happened to the rest of humanity. True, out of the four of them, Raph was the one who spent most time on the streets, culling the ranks of gangs and muggers with almost frightening glee, and Mikey knew that Raph had once had a girlfriend, not that it had lasted long. Or ended well.

And now Cassie and Alex had been dropped into their lives. He had to admit, he still didn't know what to make of Cassie. Sure, once she lightened up and came out of her shell as it were, she had a wicked sense of humour, she could even exchange barbs with Raph without incurring a war. But it was just something about her, like it was all a big act to cover something up that made him worry. He knew that she and Alex had literally been through hell, they both had the emotional and physical scars to prove it, but it just seemed to him like Cassie was missing something.... like a part of her had died long ago.

Alex, however, seemed almost okay, if that was possible. Whatever had happened to them, it was clear that Cassie had gone to great lengths to ensure that Alex didn't go through the same nightmares that she endured, leaving the youngest of the two wise beyond her years, yet not so deeply scarred. It showed in her eyes. She had been hurt, yes. Lived through things that he didn't even want to acknowledge, and yet she was.... intact.

Mikey shook himself out of his morose thoughts and ducked into the alley next to April's building, taking a quick look around to make sure no one was looking before effortlessly scaling the fire escape, his natural high spirits returning with the thought of surprising the two girls with the cake he was planning on making. _This is gonna be great!_

~*~

"Trust Mikey to want fresh strawberries when it's the middle of October," Donnie muttered as he read through the grocery list, feeling rather exposed in the bright lights of the supermarket. He took a moment to raise the collar of his trench coat, trying to find reassurance in the feeling of the thick material that was wrapped around him as he looked over at the other dark figure that was accompanying him. "Leo, remind me again why I can't just head to the hospital to talk to Greg?" 

"Because you're my brother and you love me."

"No really. Remind me."

The turtle in blue rolled his eyes and shoved the shopping cart down another isle. He knew that Donnie was itching to go speak with Greg, his friend that worked as an Emergency Doctor at the General Hospital, and incidentally, the one who was gracious enough to sneak out medical supplies for them. Raph had vanished as soon as they had entered the store, and Leo guessed that the other turtle had probably migrated to the periodicals and was looking through some raunchy magazine.

"Think Mikey would kill us if we got maraschino cherries instead?"

Leo frowned and returned his attention to where it was being called. "Probably. Look, get those and we'll pick up a box of those frozen strawberries I saw three isles back."

"Better safe than stuck with a pouting Mikey, hmm?" Smiling, Donnie picked up a bottle of the cherries and turned to the cart, eyeing the Leaning Tower of Food a little warily as he tried to find a spot where he could set the bottle down without incurring a landslide. "Leo, how are we gonna carry all this stuff home?"

He eyed the cart. "We'll get Raph to carry the heavy stuff."

"Oh no, ya won't." Arms laden with bags of chips, pretzels and pork rinds, Raphael stomped over to them and dropped his load onto the pile, smirking when Donnie yelped at seeing the Tower sway dangerously. "'Sides, I gotta go pick somethin' up. Why dontcha jus' take the entire cart? We can bring it back tomorrow night."

"It'd make too much noise," Leo said, shaking his head slightly. In all truth, he had already thought of that idea and discounted it as too much of a risk. The cart was rickety, one wheel prone to loud bouts of screeching. They could easily be followed. "Besides, how would we get it down into the sewers?"

"Don't you abandon us with all this, Raph," Donnie grumbled, eyeing his brother in annoyance. "Else I'll sabotage the TV. Teletubbies and Barney all day, _every _day. No more music videos, no more _Smackdown_ or _Baywatch._ Just kiddie shows. Maybe I'll even throw in some Care Bears and Blue's Clues--"

Knowing that Donnie was not only perfectly able to do what he was threatening, but that if he took off that's _exactly _what his brother would do, Raph growled and shot a glare at him. "Alright! Alright! I'll help ya with the damned bags! Jeez!"

Leo couldn't resist. "Gee, Donnie, can you get him to be on time for morning practice too?"

Very aware of the murderous glare he was receiving from Raph, Donnie glanced at Leo for a moment then turned his attention back to the grocery list. "There are some things that even I can't do."

~*~

"You're harbouring a wanted fugitive?!" April O'Neil had lived and seen the stranger side of life. Ever since her life had crossed and intertwined with the lives of the turtles, she'd survived numerous adventures into the extreme. As a reporter, she knew that no one could ever find out about her unique friends, and she knew that their habit of helping those in dire need stretched that already thin line between living in secrecy and being exposed to the world. But, this situation was different than most. They usually helped runaways and children that lived on the streets, not people with half the state's police force looking for them. "Mikey--"

The turtle that was perched on the edge of the couch leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he looked over at her where she was sitting on one of the stools next to her kitchen counter. "No, Ape, wait. Hear me out. Cassie.... we know she's wanted by the cops, but they've got it wrong. She didn't kidnap her sister. Their dad, Murdock.... he's not what he seems." When it looked like she was going to protest further, he sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "April, he beat them. I've seen the wounds, and the scars. He had them on a _food regimen_, feeding them barely enough for them to stay alive."

She frowned at the pained expression on his face and rose from her perch, walking over to sit beside him. "Murdock's a public icon, Mikey. The public watches his every move. If he was abusing his kids, someone would have reported it by now."

"There's more," he murmured, opening his eyes to stare down at the plain grey rug that covered the hardwood floor. "Much more. His real name's Marcelo D'Amico. He's in charge of the crime syndicate that's behind most of the drug trafficking, protection rackets and gang wars on the streets. When we found the girls in the sewers, two of his goons were attacking them. They were gonna rape, Cassie." Pushing the thought from his mind, he rose his head and met April's gaze, willing her to understand. "April, they wouldn't lie about this. They've been abused and beaten for years, and they have the emotional and physical scars to prove it. I know we don't have proof _yet_, but we _know_ that they're telling the truth. There's just no way they could make up a charade like this, and even if they could, Leo would have found them out by now. You know that as well as I do."

He's right. If Leo's going along with this then he must believe their story. If he didn't, I know he'd never leave them alone in the lair. Sighing softly, she reached out and lay a hand on Mikey's arm, squeezing gently in reassurance. "Okay, I believe you. But the fact still remains that there's a warrant out for Cassandra's arrest. The police aren't even giving Murdock's accusation that she kidnapped Alexis a second thought."

"They won't turn themselves in, if that's what you're thinking," he frowned. "Cassie would be put in jail and Alex would just be sent back to Murdock. The reason they ran away in the first place was because Cassie didn't want Murdock to rape Alex. She's been protecting her little sister for years.... and we're not going to just stand by and let him take them back."

The uncharacteristic anger in his voice shocked her, and her eyes widened when she saw the dangerously protective glint to his gaze, a total contrast to his usual energetically cheerful nature. If things were bad enough to bring about a reaction like this from Michelangelo, she knew the situation had to be deadly serious. Much emphasis on the 'deadly'. "Alright. I'll help any way I can. For starters I'll go get the stuff she needs. I think I have some old clothes they can have too."

He smiled, mood lightening as he reached over and gave her a brotherly hug. "Thanks, April."

"Anytime, Mikey," she told him, returning the brief hug before she pushed herself to her feet and went to snatch her purse and the list off the kitchen counter. "But I expect a generous slice of that cake you're making. Not that I need the calories, mind you, but I'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb to pass up your cooking."

The compliment boosted his mood back into it's more normal levels, and he winked at her playfully as he got up and headed for the kitchen to hunt for the pans he was going to borrow. "I don't know what you're talking about. My cooking doesn't have calories."

April chuckled. "I hate to burst your bubble, Chef Michelangelo, but those chocolate éclairs you made a few months ago did indeed have calories. I gained five pounds just looking at them."

"Then eat with your eyes closed next time. Problem solved."

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her keys and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Wise Guy."

~*~

"I am so _booooored._"

The whine made Cassie raise her head from the pillow she had been resting against where she lay sprawled on her stomach across the length of the couch, her view of her sister blocked by the unruly curtain of her hair. "Watch some TV," she suggested as she buried her face back into the pillow, trying to either fall asleep or suffocate herself into blissful unconsciousness. Whichever happened first.

"There's nothing on," Alex grumbled in reply. "I've gone through all the channels three times now, and this IV needle is making me itch. Hey, are you asleep?"

"....yes."

"Liar."

"Mfpt. Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favour and come sit by my feet so Splinter can have his chair back."

"Huh?" Blinking, Alex tilted her head back and peered up into the elder rat's mildly surprised gaze. "Oh. Hi. Just a sec." Tucking the remote under the waistband of her pants, she carefully got to her feet and grabbed the IV tower, wheeling it ahead of her as she moved over to the couch and threw herself down.

Cassie winced. "Alex, I said 'at' my feet, not 'on'."

"Not my fault you're taking up the entire couch," Alex smiled as she turned her attention to Splinter. "I wanted to thank you, for when I had that asthma attack. Only Leo told me you were meditating and I didn't want to bug you...."

"It's quite alright, child." Returning her smile with a gentle fatherly one, he carefully eased himself into his chair and let himself sink into it's comfortable hold, easily hiding the fact that Cassandra had managed to surprise him. Even his sons sometimes didn't hear him move about the lair, so quiet were his movements, and yet she had known that he had joined them without even raising her head from the pillow. And speaking of which.... "Cassandra, how is your back healing? Is there still much pain?"

When an answer didn't come, Alex rolled her eyes and poked her sister in the kidney. "Cassie."

The prod jerked her back into coherency, and Cassie snapped her head off the pillow. "M'awake!" A soft chuckle from Splinter drew her gaze to him, and she felt her cheeks redden. "Er.... sorry."

"No apologies are necessary. I take it that the antibiotics that Donatello has given you are still putting you to sleep?"

"Yeah. But they're helping." Moving stiffly, she sat up and yanked her feet out from under Alex, tucking her knees up under her chin and wrapping her arms around her calves. "That stuff you put on my back helped too, after it stopped feeling as if it was eating through my skin anyway."

"I'm afraid it was the only way to help fight off the serious infection of your wounds. Michelangelo has told me that you are healing well, so I doubt that you shall have to endure another poultice dressing."

"No offence, but good. I can handle a lot of pain, but that was way outside my coping limits."

Alex smirked. "Tell me about it. My ears are still ringing from that scream."

"Oh, shut up, Lil' Miss 'let's try to embarrass my eighteen year old sister to death'."

"You're still sore about that?" Grinning, Alex leaned forward to look at a curious Splinter. "See, Mikey told me that Raph's been actin' stranger than usual when he's around Cassie. So-- Mft!"

"No matchmaking!" Cassie growled as she clamped her hand over her sister's mouth. "You keep your little plans to yourself, kapeesh? I think our lives are complicated enough as it is without you meddling with my love life."

She pulled away and frowned at her. "You don't _have_ a love life."

"Exactly. And I bloody well like it that way." Huffing in annoyance, Cassie lowered her legs and folded her arms over her chest, glaring over at the TV for a moment before glancing at Splinter. "What are the chances of swearing you to secrecy?"

"Rather high," he assured her, tilting his head to the side afterwards as he met her gaze. "Forgive my asking, but I was also under the impression that my sons interest was reciprocated."

Feeling her cheeks redden again, Cassie lowered her gaze from him and stared at a stain on the worn out rug at her feet. "I don't want to be hurt again. I have nothing against you or the guys, Splinter. You are all Godsends. But I can't let myself feel like that. I _can't_...."

"Fighting your emotions is never a wise course, Cassandra. In the end, it will only cause you more suffering." 

"Suffering. I can handle that."

Alex frowned as Cassie pushed herself to her feet and staggered into her borrowed room, then sighed and looked at Splinter. "You'll have to excuse my sister, she's an idiot. I can tell you that she does like him, what I can't tell you is when she'll admit that to herself. She's as stubborn as a mule and thrice as thick-headed."

"So is, Raphael," Splinter told her, turning his gaze away from the closed door to Raphael's bedroom and staring into dark hazel eyes. "She carries much pain. Too much for one person to bear. You don't seem to have that burden."

"Yeah, well.... I've had my fair share of breakdowns." She fidgeted a little, suddenly uncomfortable, and looked away again, unable to hold his gaze. "But, I think I'm not as bad cuz I always had Cassie. She didn't have anyone, she spent all of her time looking after me. We've never had it easy, but she's had it much worse.... so much worse. There were times after Murdock beat her that I thought she'd die, but she never said a word, just got back up as if she wasn't hurting and made sure I was okay. She never cried either, not when he was hitting her and not afterwards...."

A gentle hand touched her shoulder then, and she looked up through her gathering tears as Splinter moved to sit beside her, worry plainly written across his elder features. "You both carry tremendous strength, to have been able to survive such horrors. However, she depends on you as much as you depend on her, my child. Were it not for you, I do not think Cassandra would have had the determination to defy Murdock at every turn. He would have broken her spirit, and to her I believe that such a fate would have been worse than death." 

She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, ashamed at her tears. "I don't feel strong. I never have. Cassie wouldn't have gotten hurt if she hadn't been trying to protect me."

"The blame is not yours to carry, Alexis. Do not blame yourself for the evils of another. If the situations were reversed, would you not have done everything in your power to protect your sister?"

"....yeah. Of course."

"And you would not want her to blame herself for something that was not of her doing, correct?" When she nodded silently, he carefully reached out and brushed her falling tears off her cheeks. "Cassandra loves you very much, and she needs your strength to keep her own demons from taking her over. She takes her reassurance from your well-being, and now that she no longer has to fight to insure that for you, she is at a loss. Now she is forced to confront the pain that she is carrying. I do not believe she can fight such an enemy alone, and her own fear of the past repeating itself is only fuelling the problem."

Alex sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know how to help her, Splinter. And even then, I can't do it alone."

"You are not alone, my child. My sons and I will help you in any way we can. You are safe here, and already, it feels as if you are part of our family."

Another torrent of tears fell down her cheeks as she twisted and impulsively threw her arms around him, surprised at the strength she sensed in his frail form as he returned the hug, lightly stroking her hair to calm her as he let her cry against his shoulder, a part of his heart wondering how any father could cause such pain to his child.


	10. Shadows of the soul

_We don't own the Ninja Turtles._   
__   
__   
__ __

Shadows of the soul   
  


"Honey! I'm hoooom-- ut." Michelangelo froze in mid-step when he saw his Master on the couch, a small auburn haired form curled up beside him, covered in a worn blanket. "Um... Is everything okay?" 

Splinter looked up from the news show he was watching and smiled at his son. "Speak softly, Michelangelo. I do not wish to wake her." 

Nodding, the turtle easily balanced the numerous bags he carried while he shucked out of his trenchcoat, chucking the worn jacket towards a hook in the wall as he walked over to the couch and looked down at the young girl worriedly. "She looks pale." 

"After the amount of crying she has done, I would not doubt it," Splinter murmured, resting a hand on the girl's back and lightly rubbing her shoulders. "Cassandra retreated to Raphael's room almost two hours ago, I have not heard from her since." 

"Well, maybe this'll cheer her up," Mikey grinned as he gestured to his bags. "April got the stuff she wanted, and gave us a bunch of old clothes too. And I got what I needed to make," he paused and glanced down at the sleeping Alex, then lowered his voice further. "The cake for her birthday." 

"I'm sure they will both appreciate such a gesture," the elder rat said warmly. "Perhaps you should check on Cassandra. She may appreciate a change of clothing." 

Nodding with another grin, the orange banded turtle went to place the two cake pans in the kitchen, then grabbed the remaining two bags and headed for Cassie's temporary room, knocking on it softly. "Cassie? Hey, ya awake?" Receiving no answer, he slowly cracked the door open and blinked into the dark room for a moment before he groped for the light switch, flicking it on to reveal an empty room. "Ut oh." 

Dropping the bags, he ran to the opposite side of the train car, where an old window had been pried open, splinters and drops of blood evidence of how hard such a task had been. Lithely hopping out of the window, he looked left and right, determined that it would have been impossible to go left because of the tower of boxes and went right, moving with all of the ninja stealth he possessed, ears straining for the slightest sound... _There._

Frowing in worry now, he walked over to the entrance to the dojo, noting the door was ajar and thus muffling much of the sound as he silently pushed it open. There, sweat drenched and furious, was Cassie. As he watched, she attacked the wildly swinging punching bag with a series of punches and kicks, her breathing heavy, a sure sign that she was pushing herself past her current limits. And yet she continued, pummeling the bag with a ferocity that he had only seen in Raphael, her movements were a little odd, but he recognised some of them from his own training, and he mused that she had probably taught herself basic karate from books, or copied the movements from Murdock's bodyguards. 

She noticed him then, and he made no move towards her as she spun to face him, her hands fisted at her sides, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. It was her eyes that bothered him though. They were hard as ice, cold, devoid of compassion or conscience, and he frowned when she glared at him for a moment before moving to walk past him. Acting on instinct, he grabbed her elbow, and time stopped. He was immediately aware of her going very, very still, and very aware of the tension that was suddenly mounting around them, until it was an almost palaple thing, he felt her pulse race under her skin, felt every muscle tense and turn to steel, and he became aware that she was trembling, not in fear, but in a desperate bid to keep herself from lashing out at him. 

Her voice, when she spoke, sounded like broken glass rasping over metal wool. "Let go." 

He fought with himself for a moment. On one point, he could take her, but on another, he knew that if he pushed the matter, he'd lose what little trust she had for him. Sighing softly, he released her, watching her closely as she backed away a few steps and took a few deep breaths. When he judged that she was in control of herself, he took a small step towards her and held out his right hand, seeing her eye him warily for a moment before she slipped her left hand into his, where upon he proceeded to pull her into a brotherly hug, letting her bury her face into his shoulder as she shuddered from the emotions that were raging within her. 

After a few minutes, he gave her a final squeeze, then held her at arms length. "Cassie? You okay?" 

"Y-yeah. I'm back," she whispered raggedly, unable to meet his gaze. "....I'm sorry...." 

"Nah. S'okay," he told her, tucking her under one arm and gently guiding her back to the open space of the livingroom, trying to act as if what he had just seen hadn't bothered him. "Everyone needs to vent every now an again, right?." 

"....I didn't want any of you to see me like that," came the soft murmur as she hung her head, dimly aware of the trickle of sweat and blood that was making it's way down her spine, and the pain in her shoulders and hands that plainly told her that she would be regretting her stupidity in the morning. 

"Hey," Mike whispered, cupping her chin and gently raising her head so he could meet her tear clouded gaze. "It's okay. Yeah, you scared me for a moment there, but it's okay. I understand, maybe not as much as I'd like to, but I do, a little. Raph goes through the same thing. When things get too bad, he does what you just did, goes and lashes out at everything until he's either worn himself out, or until I go pull him out of it." 

That got her attention. "You?" 

"'Natch. Raph an I are close. Closer than Leo and Don know. I'm the only one who understands his moods, and the only one who can pull him out of his funks. Looks like I get the honor of helping you out too, hmm?" He smiled at her and gave her a light nookie, grinning when he saw a slight smile grace her lips. "There, see? A smile. Now c'mon, April got all that stuff you wanted, and she donated some of her old clothes too. Nothing overly fancy, but at least you and Alex can get a clean outfit." 

"Alex!" The name of her sister snapped her out of her dark mood, concern taking place of depression. "Did she see--" 

"No. She's with Master Splinter. She fell asleep on the couch. She didn't even hear me come in." 

A sigh of relief left her at that. "Good. Good...." A loud commotion from the direction of the entrance drew thier attentions then, and she frowned as she hurried forward, pausing when she saw the other three turtles struggling with numerous bags of groceries. Hiding her dark emotions with practiced ease, she glanced at Mikey then went to help them, ignoring Leo's disapproving look when she took three bags from Don and carried them to the kitchen. 

"Hey, hey, hey! Ya shouldn't be carryin' those!" Raph growled when he entered the kitchen with his own baggage, glaring at her when she merely rolled her eyes and placed her bags onto the small table. 

"Oh, shush. It's just a few bags." 

"Don't you 'shush' me," he muttered in response, dumping his bags on the counter before putting his hands on her shoulders and bodily turning her around, pushing her out of the kitchen. "Go sit d--" He paused at the sensation of warm dampness on his hands and rose his right hand, eyes widening when he saw the blood there. "Shit! Donnie! Mike! She's bleedin' again!" 

Cassie struggled as she found herself roughly pushed down onto a chair, shoving at the hands that kept her from rising. "N-no! Let go! _Let me go!_" 

The last was a scream of sheer terror, and Raphael immediately backed away, only to have a slim form with considerable momentum body check him into the counter, and he just barely managed to keep himself from drawing a weapon when he saw Alex moving to wrap her arms protectively around her sister's shoulders, glaring at him feircely. The others ran into the room then, and he exchanged quick glances with them before they all looked at Alex, who was still clutching her older sister to herself, and for a moment Raphael saw a glimpse of just how scarred they were, how close they had come to having their spirits broken, and how only by depending on one another did they manage to survive the hell they had been born into. 

"Alexis." 

Auburn hair flew into her eyes as she snapped her head towards the soothing voice, blinking when she saw Splinter approaching her. Cassie still shivered in her grasp, one strong hand tightly grasping her arm, keeping her close. "Don't. Not yet. She's not back yet." 

"Back?" Leo echoed, groceries forgotten. 

"She gets this way sometimes," Alex told them, holding her sister even tighter when another shudder wracked her frame, Cassie's hair hiding her face as she twisted to return the embrace, clinging to her. "Did she lash out at anything yet? A punching bag or something?" 

"Yeah," Mikey sighed. "I found her in the dojo. She must've been there at least an hour. Her eyes were.... it was like she was empty." 

Alex nodded slightly and cradled Cassie's head to her shoulder, closing her eyes as she hummed softly, gently rocking her sister back and forth. She felt the turtles and their Master watching on closely, but ignored them for the moment as she bent her head and whispered into her sister's ear. "Come back. Cass, please, come back. Wake up, I can't do this alone. You can't let go yet, you can't. You promised.... you promised to protect me." 

Don inched forward, unsettled by the empty gaze of the older of the two sister's as Alex let Cassie rest her head on her shoulder, the usually spirit-filled blue eyes now broken mirrors, shattered peices of what was once a life-filled woman. Then, as he watched, the longer Alex whispered to her, the more life seemed to return to those eyes, until finally, almost ten minutes later, Cassie gently pulled away from Alex and cupped her hands against her sister's tear covered cheeks, wiping the moisture from her skin. 

"Cassandra?" 

The smooth low male voice drew the shadowed blue gaze of the woman, and she blinked slowly before her shambled thoughts rearranged themselves enough to allow her to recognise Splinter, and she held very still as he approached her, until he was close enough to rest a hand on her forehead, elder fingers brushing touseld bangs from her eyes. "....I.... got lost again.... didn't I?" 

"Lost? Shit, you weren't even in the same fuckin' country!" Raph said, still standing where Alex had pushed him, trying to hide the fact that the look in her eyes had genuinely unsettled him. 

"Sorry," she murmured, hugging a relieved Alex to herself as she stood. "I don't know what triggers it. It just.... it just happens.... I ignored the signs. I thought I could just wear myself out and it'd go away...." 

Leo studied her stance for a split second before walking over to her, frowning when it was visible that she had to restrain herself from recoiling. "How long have you had these.... episodes?" 

"Since my fourteenth birthday," Alex whispered, Not seeing her sister's frown. "Since she started protecting me. See.... sometimes he dragged her out of our room, and I wouldn't see her for hours...." 

The four turtles tensed at the hidden meaning of that, and it wasn't until Splinter cleared his throat that they all realised that Cassie was watching them warily. Sighing, Donnie walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the dampness that he knew was blood as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Hey. It's okay. Now, let's take care of you, and then you can give Mikey a hand in putting the groceries away. How's that sound?" 

Once Cassie nodded, Alex pulled away from her and wiped at her eyes, sending a quilty look at Raphael as Donnie and Splinter quietly ushered her sister out of the room, heading for the small infirmary that was built into Donnie's lab. "Sorry. About the hit and all," she murmured, ducking her head to peer at the red banded turtle from under her bangs. "Cassie.... when she gets that way.... sometimes she's as violent as Murdock." 

Leo frowned. "She hit you?" 

"No! No, never! She'd hurt herself though. She'd lash out at the walls, sometimes she attacked our room door until her hands were bloody." Alex shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself. "I just didn't want her to lose control here." 

"Too late," Mikey sighed, drawing her curious hazel gaze. "I found her beatin' the living daylights out of the punching bag in the dojo. She might've been there for a good hour or more. I dunno. Oh, and Raph, y'know that window ya have in your room that was jammed? It's, uh.... not a problem anymore." 

Raph nodded slightly and shucked out of his trenchcoat, tossing it over the back of a chair before he headed after the others, pausing only to ruffle Alex's hair as he brushed past her. He found the trio in Donnie's lab, and walked in just as Splinter handed a clean shirt to Cassie, who gingerly pulled it on over the layers on bandages on her back. "Hey." 

Don glanced at him as he wiped his hands clean on a paper towel. "Hey. Don't be coming here to make small talk. I gave her a pretty strong sedative to help calm her down. She's barely awake." 

He frowned and looked over to the form that was slowly lying down on the small cot there, watching as Splinter carefully tucked a blanket around her, his sensei's gaze dark and thoughtful as he lightly stroked Cassie's hair, murmuring something to her that he couldn't hear. His Master turned to motion him closer then, and he hesitated a moment before stepping deeper into his brother's lab, sharing glances with Donnie as the other turtle left. 

It was only when he was by the bedside that he recognised the shirt as one of April's, and he guessed that their human friend had donated some of her older clothing to help the sisters. Unsure of what Splinter wanted, he stopped by the elder rat's side from where the sensei sat on the edge of the bed, still stroking Cassie's hair. "Is she?" 

"Sleeping now. The bleeding wasn't as severe as we feared. Merely reopened wounds." Splinter pulled his hand away from her and watched her sleep for a few moments, wishing that she could find the peace in life that she seemed to acquire in sleep. "You and she have much in common, Raphael. You both hold such anger within, such indomidable spirit. Only I fear that where your strength is strong, hers is wavering. But she also hides many fears, and much pain. Such are destroying her from within." 

Confused, he ran a hand across his face and frowned. "Why are ya tellin' me this?" 

Dark, wisened eyes rose to meet his gaze. "You care for her." It wasn't a question. 

He sucked in his breath through clenched teeth, one hand fisting by his side. "What does that havta do wit' anythin'?" 

"Do you not wish to help her?" 

"Of course I do. But what the hell can I do, huh? I ain't no shrink, an I sure as hell ain't the one to come to wit' problems." 

"She cares for you as well, Raphael. Only she is afraid." Splinter watched and waited as the sudden anger drained from his rashest son as quickly as it had appeared, the flames quenched by the new information. "She fears her own emotions, and she fears rejection. She, is her greatest enemy, just as you are yours. She needs your help and your strength, Raphael. But only if you are willing to give it." 

Raph frowned at his sensei for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Then what am I supposed ta do? I ain't the comfortin' type, Master Splinter. I dunno how ta help her." 

"Simply be her friend, my son. Simply be there if she needs it. She has connected with you, out of us all," Splinter murmured, gazing down at the sleeping woman tenderly. "That, I believe, will be the greatest help you could possibly offer her." 

The turtle in red nodded slightly, then sucked in a breath, almost unable to voice his next question. "Are there scars? I mean, did Murdock ever....?" 

"I do not know," the rat whispered, troubled. "But we had to wrap her hands in gauze. She split the skin on her knuckles open. Though it is not the external scars that must heal, it is the ones within that must mend." 

Sighing again, Raph sunk down onto a chair and propped his chin on his fist. "Yeah, okay. Fair nuff'." He fell silent for a moment, then sighed again. "You go out and check up on Alex, Splinter. I'll, uh, keep an eye on Cass." 

Smiling warmly, Splinter rose from the edge of the bed and rested a hand on his son's shoulder before turning and silently exiting the room. "I will return in a few hours to take your place so you may rest." Hiding another smile, he closed the door behind him and looked over towards the kitchen, seeing the four expectant faces there and giving them a reassuring fatherly wink as he strode over to them. "So, shall we begin unpacking all of this food, or shall we simply remain here staring at a closed door?" 

Alex grinned. "Splinter, you're a sneaky matchmaker!" 

The rat merely smiled.   
  
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	11. Surprises

_No ownage of the Ninja Turtles happening here._   
__   
__ __

Surprises   
  
  


Alex yawned as she shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she went to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice carton, opening the fold and guzzling straight from the container. It had been just the night before when the turtles had gone for the grocery run, and everyone had been gorging themselves since, especially with Mikey's cooking. The lasagna he had made for supper had been excellent, neither she nor Cassie had ever had anything like it, and the turtle in orange had loved the attention and compliments they had sent his way. 

"You have been around my sons far too much, Alexis. I fear you are beginning to adopt some of their bad habits." 

Startled, she nearly choked in her determination not to backspit into the containter, then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "Splinter!" 

The elder rat stood in the doorway and arched a slightly grey eyebrow at her. "I suppose that it is too late for me to suggest that you use a glass, considering that you've nearly emptied the container." 

She blushed, then stammered and pointed at the fridge. "There's still another carton!" she sputtered, blinking when Cassie walked into the room, snatched the carton out of her left hand, guzzled the rest of it down with her morning antibiotic pill, then shoved the container back into her hands and staggered out of the kitchen again, mumbling something about going back to bed. "Well.... it could be worse." 

Splinter looked after the other teen and shook his head in solem exasperation. "So it would seem," he mused, pausing for a moment before following the older of the two sisters into the livingroom, dimly aware that Alex had put the empty carton back into the fridge before she joined him. Raphael and Michelangelo were sitting on the couch, stuffing their faces with junk food and sodas while the soft flickering of light from Donatello's lab informed him of where his third son was. There was no sign of Leonardo, though he surmised that the Leader of the quartet was still in the dojo. 

Munching on a fistful of pork rinds, both Mikey and Raph's gazes followed Cassie across the open space of the livingroom as she shuffled back to her borrowed room, and Raph stifled a grumble when he saw both Splinter and Alex following the woman, worry written on their features. "Down in front!" he growled around a mouthful of junk food, flicking a pork rind at Cassie to get her attention and snickering when it pegged her in the forehead. "What's the matta with you?" 

"Nothin'," she muttered, stretching gingerly as she yawned. "I'm still a little tired, that's all." 

"Aw, c'mon," Mikey grinned, patting the empty spot of couch between himself and Raphael. "Cop a squat and watch some TV with us." He gave her a secretive wink as he spoke, hoping to grab hold of her curiousity as he gave her a big grin. 

_What's he up to? _She mused to herself, sending a longing glance in the direction of the bed she had woken up on in the infirmary before she let her curiousity get the better of her, making her shrug as she walked over to join the two turtles on the couch. She settled herself between them and tugged at the blanket that rested on the back of the couch, pulling it free and then promptly wrapping it around herself. 

"Yer cold?" Raphael frowned, making a face at her in disbelief and then arching a brow ridge when Mikey lay a hand over her forehead. 

"Ya don't have a fever," Mikey announced, looking at her critiqueally as he helpfully cocooned her in the blanket. "You feel okay?" 

"I'm fine. I just woke up ten minutes ago, that's all," she protested as she leaned back against the cushions, wincing a little before relaxing. "I'm fine." 

Shrugging, Raph slouched down beside her and nudged her with his right elbow, seeing her glance at him out of the corner of his eye before she nudged him back. Overnight, she had woken up during his watch, trembling and afraid, so deeply was she caught in one of her nightmares. He wasn't one to give comfort, wasn't one to come to when someone wanted mushy emotions. But somehow, he had managed to talk her out of her dream, and coax her out of her fears. They had spent a little over an hour merely talking about nothing in particular before she had drifted off to sleep again, but he sensed that something between them had changed, and while he had yet to figure that out, it was nice to see her a little more relaxed. 

Another nudge made him glance at her, discovering that she was staring at the TV, pretending not to be paying attention to him, although there was a slight smile on her lips. Her playfullness was infectious, and he smirked as he nudged her back, the two of them now engadged in a friendly shoving match, and he took great care to hold back most of his strength so as not to harm her, his keen senses always tuned to any sign that her wounds were becoming affected by their game. 

Just as their game was turing into a full fledged wrestling match, both the cushion that Mikey whacked him with and the low sound of Splinter clearing his throat made them pause, and Cassie felt her cheeks heat as she peeked over the back of the couch, eyeing Splinter and her sister for a moment before she winced and sunk lower into the couch cushions. She heard Mikey snicker from beside her and glared at him out of the corner of her eye, scowling when it only made him laugh harder. 

As Raphael snorted and glared at the TV, Mikey leaned towards her and lightly tapped her shoulder to get her attention, speaking softly. "Since you two are feeling better, can you distract her for a bit so I can get the cake together?" 

Cassie quirked an eyebrow at that, suddenly remembering what he had been planning since hearing of Alex's birthday. "Um.... yeah. I suppose...." Thinking quickly, she threw a rough plan together, then looked over at her still giggling sister. "Oi, Giggles. Do me a favor and go grab that bag that Mike brought down yesterday, the one from the Pharmacy." 

Alex muffled her laughter and nodded, darting over to the pile of bags that Mike had brought down from Aprils and shifting through them until she had the Pharmacy bag, her curiousity taking over as she peeked inside, then let loose a short scream of surprise. "You're gonna dye my hair?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" 

Seeing the oncoming hug, Mikey quickly ducked to the side, barely avoiding tripping Alex as the young girl threw herself at Cassie and wrapped her arms around her, squealing with joy. Unable to help himself, he grinned and envelloped the two of them in a bear hug, chuckling at Alex's yelp of surprise before she giggled. 

"Alright you two!" Cassie laughed, trying to push them away. "Get off of me, you lunatics! Off!" 

Raph rolled his eyes at the group and reached over to grasp his brother's bandana tails, giving them a hard yank and thus forcing the other turtle to release the girls. "Watch her back you idiot." 

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Grimacing, Mikey swatted Raph's hand aside then loosened the tightened knot on his bandana, wincing in discomfort. "I was being careful! Geez." 

"You forget, Michelangelo, that despite her high spirits, Cassandra is still badly wounded," Splinter reminded him gently from where the sensei had seated himself in his chair, a worn out ancient Lazy-Boy. 

The elder of the two sisters groaned and rolled her eyes. "I am not a delicate waif," she growled, actually glaring at both Mikey and Splinter for a moment before huffing in annoyance. Frowning, she pushed herself to her feet and threw the blanket over Mikey's head, taking the bag from Alex and then ushering her sister towards the bathroom. "We're taking over the bathroom for a while." 

Raph quirked an eyeridge at the cold tone of her voice and glanced at his brother, then at Splinter before he hid a smirk and returned his gaze to the TV, munching on more pork rinds as he listened to the bathroom door slam shut and lock. "Ya'd better hurry with that cake, Mikey. I don't think Cassie's gonna give ya too much leeway time." 

Pulling the blanket from his head, Mikey shot a disturbed look in the direction of the bathroom, then swallowed thickly. "Ut.... right." 

~*~ 

It was a good hour and a half before the two girls relinquished the bathroom, the two of them freshly washed and dressed in the clothing donated to them by April. Alex's hair was a rich colour of copper auburn, with blond highlights throughout her shoulder-blade lengthed mane. Two strips of bangs hung in front of her face, tinted a lighter colour of auburn that complimented her emerald eyes. The clothes she was wearing were a little big, but the comfort jogging pants and tee shirt obviously out-weighed the bulkiness of the outfit. 

Cassie however, had taken a more drastic change. She had cut her hair so that the ends barely wisped over her shoulders. The majority of her hair was the same colour as Alex's, with the added alteration of all the tips dyed a midnight black. Like her sister, two long lengths of her bangs were dyed a different colour, in her case, they were blood red, the sharp contrast making her light blue eyes seem eerie. She was decked out in her newly washed black jeans and a light grey tank top, courtesy of April, though she hoped that the shower she had taken hadn't irritated the wounds on her back too badly. 

Alex darted past her into the livingroom then, and she took a moment to make sure they had cleaned up the bathroom and thrown out the rest of the hair dye before following her, chuckling at the catcalls and whistles that announced where her sister had gone. She could already discern which of the turtles were complimenting her sister, and she let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she walked out into the open livingroom, quirking an eyebrow when the males went silent. "What? Cat got your tongues?" 

"Wha.... holy shit, Cass, what'jya do to yer hair?" Raphael gaped, dark eyes appraising her new look in a mix of shock and approvement. 

An amused smirk spread over her lips as she folded her arms across her chest and eyed the turtles, seeing her sister try to muffle her giggles at the looks of shock on their faces. "I've always wanted to change my look into something that _I_ wanted," she said in way of explaination. 

"Rebelling much?" Mikey grinned. 

She mirrored his grin and held the fingers of her right hand an inch apart. "Just a little." 

"It looks good. I mean, you look good. I mean, not that I'm looking, cause I'm not. Not that you're not pretty, you are, but I'm not, I mean you're... I'm.... argh..." Defeated, Donnie lowered his face into his hands and groaned. 

"Smooth, Brainiac," Raphael snickered. "Real smooth." 

"So, you're 'looking' at my big sis, huh?" Alex drawled, giggling when the turtle in purple set off into another glibbering fit. 

"Better quit before you dig yourself any deeper," Mikey warned his brother as he grinned at the blushing turtle. 

Cassie rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked over to the couch and threw herself down onto it with a tired sigh. "I could fall asleep right about now," she muttered as she groped for a pillow and shoved it behind her head, shifting to prop her feet up on the coffee table as she yawned widely. 

"I take it those antibiotics are still hitting you hard?" Leo frowned as he leaned on the back of the couch and looked down at her worriedly when she nodded. "How's your back?" 

"Itchy," she grimaced with a wriggle against the couch cushions. "But pretty good, considering." 

Mike looked over at her and frowned. "You didn't bandage the cuts yet, did you?" Not waiting for her to answer, he went to get their medical supplies then gestured for her to get up. "C'mon, up. You can't risk another infection." 

"Mrptfh." 

"Geddup, Cass," Raph said from where he was sitting next to her as he grasped her right arm and gently pulled her upright, chuckling when she grumbled and leaned against him. "I ain't a leanin' post." 

"Aw, be nice, Raph," Mikey grinned as he sat on her other side and pulled up the back of her shirt. "She's tired, give her a break." 

The turtle in red grumbled but relented, letting Cassie rest her head on his left shoulder as Mikey fixed up her back. He managed to catch a few glimpses of the healing wounds as Mikey worked, the sight knawing at him more and more until he found himself holding her hands when she yelped in pain as Mike spread antibiotic cream over a particularly bad gash. 

"Almost done," Leo murmured to her, his voice calm and soothing, a shart contrast to the tightly controlled shadows in his eyes as he watched his younger brother work. "Does it feel as bad as it did a few days ago or do you think it's healing well?" 

"It's better," she said softly, her voice wavering slightly. "It's just so damned sensitive...." 

"That'll fade as you heal," Donnie told her. "Once the infection dies so will the sensitivity and the aches." 

"All done," Mikey told her moments later, giving her a light pat on the shoulder as he stood, giving her room to sit up. "Feel better?" 

"Oh yeah," she grimaced, feeling Raph lightly brush her hair out of her eyes. "It feels like a big steaming pile of delight." 

Alex wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Cassie, that's disgusting!" 

"Speak fer yerself," Raph chuckled. "That was freakin' classic!" 

"Oh yes, ha ha," Leo sighed, rolling his eyes. "That sick mental image was ever so funny. Now seriously, are you alright?" 

"Yeah.... m'just tired." Yawning to prove her point, she carefully pushed away from Raph and leaned back into the couch cushions, curling up there like a contented cat as she looked up at Mikey and arched a single eyebrow inquizitively while glancing in the direction of the kitchen. When he gave her a big grin and nodded, she relaxed and turned her attention for groping around for the blanket, blinking when Raph tossed it at her and tucked the ends of it around her feet. "Um.... thanks." 

"Here." Smirking at his brother's actions, Donnie grabbed a black cardigan from the stuff April had donated and handed it to her, smiling in return to her thankful nod as she gingerly slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled the top close around herself. 

Sensing that there was something she was missing, Alex sat on the edge of one of the chairs and eyed all present. "Sooo.... what are you people scheming? I can tell, you know, Cassie's got that look in her eyes that means she's hiding something from me." 

Groaning, Cassie pulled a pillow over her head and cursed. "God help me, my sister's too smart for her own good." 

"If I can't smother myself than neither can you," Raph growled as he wrestled the pillow from her, then threw it at Leo, sighing in disappointment when the turtle in blue merely caught the projectile. 

Don rolled his eyes, then looked at Alex, who returned his gaze expectantly, obviously awaiting the explaination she felt she deserved. "Don't look at me. I'm not telling you anything!" 

"Besides, Lexus, it's a _surprise._" Mikey told her, pouting in disappointment. "It's no fun if someone _tells you_ about it." 

"First off, I am not a car, don't call me 'Lexus'," Alex wrinkled her nose in distaste at the bad nickname, then looked at her sister. "Besides, I.... I'm not big on surprises." 

Cassie sighed and propped herself up on an elbow. "Chill, okay? You damn well know I wouldn't let anything happen to you." 

"What are we?" Raph scowled. "Chopped liver?" 

"N-no! But, it's just that Cassie's always looked out for me.... I...." Flustered, Alex ducked her head and glanced away from the turtles. "I didn't mean anything by it." 

"Hey, it's alright," Donnie reassured her as he rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a slight squeeze. "Raph didn't mean anything by it, did you, Raph?" When the red banded turtle grumbled out a response, he smirked and patted her shoulder. "See? No problem." 

A soft ring of sound from the kitchen caught Cassie's attention then, and she hid a smile as she watched Mikey dash into said kitchen, knowing that despite her sister's unease, that she would enjoy the surprise birthday cake. Raph let out another grumble then, and she frowned as she shoved at him with her right foot. "Be nice to my sister." 

"For Raph, this _is_ nice," Leo muttered as he headed after Mike, ignoring the rude gesture that Raph sent his way. 

Cassie rolled her eyes then looked over at Alex and held out her arms. "C'mere, kiddo," she murmured, sighing when Alex moved over to join her. Wrapping her arms around her sister's waist, she shifted on the couch and pulled Alex onto her lap, stroking the auburn locks as the girl closed her eyes and leaned closer until her head was resting on her shoulder, her breath toying with the black-tipped curls at the nape of Cassie's neck. 

There was a pause of silence for a few minutes, broken only by the low sound of the TV, and it wasn't until Donnie went to the kitchen for a drink that Raphael looked at the two girls, frowning as he gazed at the youngest of the two curled up on Cassie's lap, frail arms wrapped around the eldest's shoulders. "Hey.... kid, you okay?" 

"M'fine," Alex mumbled into her sister's shoulder, moving closer to Cassie when she felt her sister lightly stroke her hair. 

Cassie smiled slightly and playfully tickled her, elicitng a yelp and a wriggle from her younger sister. "Quit mumblin' into my shoulder, 'Lex. It tickles," she chuckled as she gently coaxed Alex to sit up. "Oof, you're gettin' too heavy for this." 

There was a snort from Raph. "What? All twenty pounds of her?" 

"Oh, shush." 

"Don't you 'shush' me," he growled. 

"I'm shakin' in my bandages," she retorted sarcastically, smirking when Alex snickered. The snapping of fingers drew her gaze to the kitchen doorway then, and she smiled when she saw Mikey standing in the doorway, the tray with a large triple decker cake covered in white icing, chocolate and cherries cradled in his hands. Grinning, she rose her hands to cover Alex's eyes, whispering to her that she was perfectly safe when she startled. "Trust me, okay?" 

Nodding shakily, Alex gripped her sister's arms for added reassurance, glad at least to be able to take comfort from the sensation of her sister's even breaths. The scent of cherries assaulted her then, and the darkness of her sister's hands was suddenly replaced by the bright light of fifteen candles on the cake that rested on the coffee table before her. Shocked and overwhelmed, she shot a look at her grinning sister, then to the turtles, blinking back tears when even Raphael mouthed the words 'Happy Birthday' to her. 

Smiling warmly, Donnie knelt next to the couch and rested a hand on Alex's knee, meeting her gaze. "Make a wish." 

Impulsively, Alex threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I don't have to," she hiccuped in between tears of joy and relief, turning her gaze to her big sister, then to the turtles again. "It's already come true. We're free and we're safe, that's all I ever wanted." 

Cassie grinned and sat up. "Speak for yourself, I still want that Harley Davidson. So if you're not gonna do this...." she leaned towards the cake and made to blow out the candles, laughing when Alex quickly beat her to it, her exhaled breath extinguishing the candles wth ease. "Damn," she muttered good naturedly, unable to keep a smile from her face. "There goes my bike."   
  
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	12. Inner Demons

_We don't own the Ninja Turtles_   
  


Inner Demons   
  
  


Leonardo stretched his arms over his head as he walked towards the dojo, hoping to loosen tense muscles with a few katas. It had been over a week since Alex's impromptu birthday, and while the two sisters had been becoming more and more a part of their little family, there was still some underlying tension. Most of that tension stemmed from Raphael. The hot tempered turtle had been trying to pry information from Cassie in order to hunt down Murdock for two days now, and he sensed that Cassie was nearing the last bit of whatever patience she possessed. It didn't help matters any that Donatello had been unsuccessful in finding any information on Murdock that would prove his ties to the gangs and to his real identity, Marcelo D'Amico. 

Even under stress, Cassie continued to improve, her wounds healing well under the tender care of both Michelangelo and Donnie. Alex had also relaxed a great deal around them, now able to spend long periods of time without needing the constant support and presense of her sister, so comfortable was she becoming with them. It was a good sign. If the two sisters could manage to trust again, then it surely proved that Murdock had been unable to break their spirits. 

Voices from the dojo jolted him out of his thoughts then, and he slowed his pace once he recognised the main voice as Alex, her tone suggesting that she was reading from one of the many National Geographic magazines that Donnie had dug out for her to read. They had discovered that while the two hadn't had a lot of public education, that Cassie had been given many tutors, and that she now did her best to share that knowledge with Alex, something that had immediately piqued Don's attention, the turtle in purple more than willing to help them out in their studies. 

As he neared the door, Alex's voice became clearer, enabling him to listen in on the sister's conversation, and he chuckled at the sound of Alex's antics, all the while wondering why the duo had chosen to hide themselves away in the dojo. 

"Ugh, do I have to read about the Ancient Peoples of.... wherever the hell they were?" 

"Huh? Lemme see that." There was a pause. "Alex, it's about the first humans in _America!_" 

"So? It's still boring." 

"Fine. Pick another magazine then. Ow, watch how you move!" 

That last bit tugged at his curiousity, and Leo silently cracked the door open a bit, just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the girls, his eyes widening when he saw Alex precariously sitting lotus style on Cassie's back while the latter did pushups. 

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, this looks neat. 'Fordland'...." Alex paused and wrinkled her nose. "That can't be right. Line please." 

Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, Cassie eyed the magazine that was suddenly hanging in front of her nose and frowned. "It's _Fiordland._ It's about New Zealand." 

"Oh. Right. My bad." Alex resettled herself and set the open magazine on her lap, clearing her throat before she began to read. " 'Gliding with uncanny grace, bottlenosed dolphins pass the scalloped shadow of a mountain peak in Fiordland, New Zealands largest national park. Fiordland's dolphins may spend their entire lives in a single fiord - denizens of an isolated world as dramatic above water as it is below.' " She paused thoughtfully and flipped ahead a few pages. "This place sounds neat. We should visit there one day." 

"One day kiddo," Cassie panted in between breaths as she continued her push ups. "I promise that I will bring you around the world. We'll travel with the best of them. Did you put on weight?" 

"Kewl. And no. You're just out of shape." 

"Ugh, that sucks. Not even two weeks and I'm already out of shape. What am I at? Seventy nine?" 

"Sixty five," Alex corrected her, snickering when her sister groaned. "Your math sucks." 

"Shaddup. And ow. I thought I told you not to move!" 

"Well if you weren't so stubborn I wouldn't even _be_ here. Mikey's gonna have kittens if he finds out you did this." 

"We'll just have to make sure he doesn't find out then." 

"Uh huh." Movement from her right drew Alex's gaze, and she felt her stomach sink at the sight of Leonardo standing in the doorway. "Busted." 

"Eh?" Cassie jerked her head up to follow her sister's gaze, then groaned and let herself collapse to the mats. "Hi, Leo. How long have you been standing there?" 

He smiled. "Since the 'ancient americans'." 

"Well, crap." 

"I think I hear Donnie calling," Alex said as she gathered up her armful of magazines and edged around Leo, quickly bolting down the hallway once she was out of his reach. 

"Traitor," Cassie grumbed into the mats as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, then ran her hands through her hair. "How much trouble am I in?" 

"Depends," he shrugged as he dropped down to sit across from her, watching her for any signs that she had pushed herself too far. "How long have you been doing this?" 

"How long 'today' or how long 'during my lifetime'?" 

"Both." 

"I started when I was sixteen. Since there was so little in our room to work with, I'd usually just do the pushups or chinups using the pole in the closet. Today however," she continued with a grimace. "I've only been here for a little over half an hour. I can't believe that I'm this rusty after only a week and a half." 

"You were wounded badly, and in a sensitive place," he reminded her. "Speaking of which, how does it feel?" 

"Pretty good. Stiff, but good, considering." 

"Good. At least that way Mikey won't yell at you." 

"Mikey? Yell? Do those words even go along in the same sentence?" 

He chuckled. "Sometimes. Rarely though. So.... you want to tell me why you're suddenly bent on working out again?" 

"Not really, no." 

"Hey, someone wanna tell me why Lexus ran outta here like a bat outta hell?" Raphael stopped short at the doorway and stared hard at the two in the dojo, his gaze cutting from Cassie to Leo. "What the?" 

"Morning," Cassie said cheerfully as she rose her right arm and wiggled her fingers at him. "Help me up?" 

Leo hid a smile as the red banded turtle took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet, amused that his normally almost anti-social brother was so taken with her. Raph and Cassie had grown a little closer over the past week, and while it usually looked like the two were barely on speaking terms, Leo had caught glimpses of a more in depth relationship hidden beneath both of their walls and stubbornness. It helped also, that Raph was quite possibly the most protective of Cassie, and Leo couldn't help but wonder if Cassie was going to tell him about her workout. 

"Anything I should know about?" Raph frowned, glancing from Leo to Cassie questioningly. 

"I was.... doing pushups when Leo walked in. Alex bailed on me." 

"Pushups." When she nodded, Raph sighed heavily and shook his head. "Pushups. Are you insane?! You're hurt!" 

She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "You're going to turn this serious, aren't you?" 

"Damn right I am!" 

"Alright. That's it. I'm going to ignore you, starting now." Exasperated, she spun on her heel and sidestepped around him, heading down the hallway with an angry turtle at her heels. 

"I'm really startin' to think that yer mental," Raph growled as he stomped after her. "Yer hurt and yer off doin' pushups?!" 

Alex looked up from where she was now seated in front of the TV. "It's not that bad, Raph. She's done pushups with me sitting on her back before." 

Cassie shot her sister a glare as Raph's gaze darkened, his right eyeridge raising higher the longer he stared at her. "Oh, did I forget to mention that?" she asked, keeping her voice as calm as she could given the situation. "Raph, please. I haven't been allowed to do anything in _days_, despite the fact that I'm healing. I feel like if I stay still any longer that I'll die!" 

He paused at that, his anger dying a little at the familiar exasperation in her voice. He knew what she spoke of, that feeling of being trapped, unable to be free. It was usually what drove him out of the Lair at night and up into the streets, where he took his frustrations out on whatever gangsters or muggers that he came upon. But this was a problem. She couldn't leave the Lair, and certainly couldn't risk going topside. What did that leave her except more frustration? 

His jaw clenched for a moment before he let his breath out in a heavy sigh. "I dunno what to tell ya, Cass. Ya can't take chances with yer back, and ya can't head topside...." 

"Well what the hell can I do that's in the realm of possibility?" she shot back, not attacking, but almost pleading. 

"I dunno," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really dunno." 

She growled something under her breath, her fingers curling into claws for a brief moment before she snarled and threw her hands up into the air. "I just.... Argh! I have to clean something!" 

Without even looking up from her magazine, Alex addressed Raphael. "Did she head for the kitchen or the bathroom?" 

"Kitchen." 

"Ah, good." She bookmarked her page and set down the magazine before getting to her feet. "Then there's a chance I can calm her down before she breaks anything." 

"Um...." Mikey met their gazes as he backed away from the kitchen and gulped. "Someone wanna tell me why I was just kicked out of the kitchen?" 

"PMS?" Raph suggested, glaring at Alex when she smacked him upside the head. "Watch it, pipsqueak." 

"Bite me," she retorted as she walked into the kitchen, ignoring the angry growl as he stalked after her. Instead, she headed over to the form who was roughly scrubbing dishes and leaned on the countertop next to her. "Cassie?" 

"Hmm?" 

"You okay?" 

"Fine," came the terse reply as a dish was placed in the drip dry rack before Cassie shoved her hands back into the soapy water. "Just peachy." 

"Liar." 

"Well, obviously." 

Alex rolled her eyes at the reply and grabbed a dish towel, letting silence fall over them as she and her sister did the dishes. It wasn't until Cassie sighed and slouched her shoulders that she moved to hug her, closing her eyes when Cassie wrapped an arm around her. "I know why you're working out again." 

"Oh?" 

"You're gonna leave me and go after mom, aren't you?" 

Cassie sucked in a breath, but didn't deny it. "Yeah. As soon as I figure out how." 

Sighing, Alex pulled back and looked at her. "Because you promised?" 

She winced. "Alex...." 

"Why?" 

"Because no one deserves to go through what we did. Not even her." 

Alex paused at that, then nodded. "You'll tell me before you go?" 

"Yeah. Of course." 

"....Alright." She turned and picked up another dish to dry and gave her big sister a sidelong glance. "You'd damn well better come back." 

"You know it, kiddo." 

Unnoticed, Raphael silently backed away from the doorway where he had been listening in and frowned as he made his way to the Lair's entrance, barely sparing a glance in Mikey's direction as he climbed the ladder that lead to the upper sewers. "I'm goin' out fer a bit-- ut." He cut himself off in surprise and backed down the ladder again, making room for the two forms that were already descending from above. 

Mikey grinned at the new arrivals, running over to greet them. "Ape! Casey! Long time no see." 

"Hi Mikey," April returned the grin as Raphael helped her down the last rungs of the ladder, and patted his hand. "Raphael. How are you doing?" 

"S'all good," he shrugged, grunting when Casey hopped down the last meter and punched him in the shoulder. "Watch it, maniac." 

"I thought we'd come see how your new house guests are doing," April said as Mikey led her down the steps into the Lair. "Did the clothes fit? Are they alright?" 

"We're fine." 

Startled, April looked towards the kitchen, her gaze settling on the teenager that stood there. Wary ice blue eyes returned her gaze from behind long red and auburn bangs that were tipped in black, and she recognized the clothes she wore as those that she had donated. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm April O'Neal. Mikey told me about you." 

Cassie eyed the hand that was held out to her, then flipped the dish towel over her left shoulder and stepped forward to shake hands. "I've heard a lot about you too. These guys think a lot of you." 

Mikey blushed at the praise and threw an arm around Cassie's shoulders. "April, meet Cassie. Alex is around here somewhere.... Yo! Lexus!" 

There was a growl from the kitchen. "Don't call me 'Lexus'!" 

"My sister," Cassie said to April by way of explaination. "Alexis. Mikey likes the nickname he made up." 

"I am not a car!" Alex yelled, still in the kitchen. 

"She's a little touchy," Cassie continued with a grin, the smile fading a little when she caught sight of the man that had walked up behind April. "Um...." 

"Huh? Oh. This is Casey Jones," April introduced him as he rested an arm around her shoulders. "Casey, this is Cassandra." 

Cassie nodded, automatically on guard, and glimpsed Raphael standing nearby, his arms folded over his plastron as he watched the introductions. "I've, uh... actually heard nothing about you Casey." 

"Really? Hmpft. I'm hurt." 

"Cope," Raph smirked, grinning when Casey glared at him. "There's beer in the fridge." 

"Kewl. You want anything, Ape?" 

"No thanks." 

"Kay." 

"So," Mikey smiled as he and April moved to sit on the couch. "How're things with you? Cassie, c'mon. Cop a squat." 

Cassie glanced in the direction of the kitchen as she slowly sat on the arm of a chair, frowning when she met Raph's steady stare. It unnerved her, the way he was looking at her, as if he was trying to figure out something about her that she wasn't willing to tell anyone. She tore her gaze from his and tried to pay attention to Mikey and April's conversation, most of her attention divided between Raph and the kitchen, where her sister was still doing dishes. 

~*~ 

Alex yawned as she put another plate on the rack, flicking suds off her fingers before she grabbed a dry towel and went to work on the glasses that had partially dried, humming softly to herself as she worked. She was dimly aware that others had arrived in the turtles Lair, but if they and her sister were calm about it, then she felt safe enough to stay rather relaxed about it. 

She set the first glass on the counter and reached for a second, starting to murmur out the words to a song she had overheard on the radio a few days back. So distracted was she that she didn't hear Casey walk into the kitchen, didn't sense a presence at all until a hand landed on her right shoulder. Fear hit her at the unwelcomed and unfamiliar touch, and she shook as an unfamiliar voice spoke out from behind her. 

"Hey, Princess, you know where the beer is?" 

The glass fall from her fingers at the nickname, and she burst into motion as it shattered loudly onto the floor. Wrenching herself out of the hold, she loosed a shriek of terror and bolted, pushing her way past the man and running headlong for one of the best hiding places she had seen in the Lair. She didn't even acknowledge her sister as she ran past her, though if she had, the look in Cassie's eyes would have told her to seek shelter anyway, such was the fear and protectiveness in those blue eyes. 

"What the--" Startled and confused by the girl's reaction, Casey turned to frown after her, his eyes widening when he only managed to get a grand view of the fist that slammed into his jaw, jerking his head to the side with considerable force. He staggered away, clutching at his nose as a second punch made it crack sickeningly, and caught a glimpse of Cassie as she snatched a knife out of the water filled sink and spun back to face him, her face a distorted mask of rage and fear as she spun the knife in her fingers and dropped into an obvious fighting stance. 

"Cass! Cassie, wait!" 

Hands grabbed her, and she automatically lashed out, yelping when cold steel caught the blade of the knife and twisted it out of her hold, that same odd weapon sinking deep into the counter to pin her wrist, trapping her. True panic started to rise in her, and she cringed back as someone grabbed her shoulders and shook her, a familiar face breaking through her fogged thoughts. 

Raphael blocked her view of an angry Casey as he rose his hands into her hair, cupping her face in his hands as he forced her to meet his gaze, stunned at the terror that he saw in her eyes. "_Cass! _Listen to me! It's a'right! Calm down!" 

Her voice, when she spoke, wavered badly, sounding so unsure that it made him wince at the sound of it. "R-Raph?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me. Ya gotta calm down, okay?" She seemed to calm the more he spoke, nodding as if she was in a trace. "Yer safe here, ya hear me?" 

Leonardo stepped into the chaos, eyeing a shaken Cassie and the battered Casey who had April holding him back as she held a cloth to his bleeding nose. "What happened?" 

"I don't bloody know!" Casey growled. "One sec I'm asking that other chick if she knew where Raph kept his beer, the next she's tearing off like a bat outta hell and this psycho attacks me!" 

"I heard Alex scream," Mike frowned thoughtfully, glancing at Cassie worriedly before returning his gaze to the human. "What'd you say to her?" 

"I told ya, I asked 'er where the beer was!" 

"No," Leo frowned. "Your actual words." 

"I dunno," Casey muttered. "Somethin' like 'Hey Princess, ya know where the beer is'?" 

Raph gently tightened his hold on Cassie when she snapped her head up at the term 'Princess'. "Shit, ya moron, no wonder she bailed like that. Their fuckshit of a father used to call them that." 

Understanding dawned on Casey then, and his anger died with the coming of it. "Oh." 

"Alex," Cassie whispered, trying to tug her wrist free of the sai that was pinning her hand to the counter as Raphael turned his attention back to her. "Raph. I have to find, Alex." 

He frowned at her for a moment, then grasped the sai and wrenched it free, letting her push past him as he replaced the weapon in his belt then headed after her, hanging back a little when Donnie ran over to them. 

"What happened?" Don frowned, noting how tense and pale Cassie seemed and how unhappy the rest of the guests and residents were. "Alex nearly ran me over before." 

"You saw her, where'd she head for?" Cassie asked softly, her voice devoid of any tone or emotion. 

"Uhh.... down the hallway to the dojo...." Donnie exchanged looks with Raphael as she headed down the hallway and quickly followed her, seeing her pause at every doorway she came to until she stiffened and headed into the bathroom. Both he and Raph crowded into the doorway in time to see her drop to her knees in front of the cabinet below the sink and yank the double doors open to reveal a shaking curled up Alex, who immediately threw herself into her big sister's arms and starting bawling. 

"Oh God, what _happened?_" 

"Casey gave her a hell of a scare by callin' her somethin' their bastard father used to call them," Raph muttered sourly. "Then Cass got into a fight with 'im. Broke his nose too." 

Don shot a panicked look at him, then knelt next to the two on the floor, lightly resting a hand on Alex's back as she clung to Cassie and cried. "God, are you two alright?" 

Cassie shook her head numbly. "Can you get me a warm facecloth?" she whispered, dimly aware that it was Raph that was going about getting what she had asked as Donnie stayed by their side, still rubbing Alex's back reassuringly. The damp, yet warm, facecloth touched her cheek then, and she looked up at Raphael for a moment before she forced a smile and took the cloth, lightly pushing Alex away from her so that she could go about cleaning her little sister's tear streaked face. "Alex? C'mon, shh. It's okay. Shh...." 

Donnie frowned at her as her voice wavered and lightly touched her arm, pulling back in surprise when he felt how badly she was shaking. "Here, let me have her," he murmured, meeting her wary gaze for a moment before she slowly released Alex and let him pull the shivering girl into his own arms. "Raph." 

"Yeah. C'mon, Cass." Stepping around his brother, he reached down and gently pulled her to her feet, supporting her when she swayed and leaned up against him, making him put his arms around her to keep her from collapsing. "Whoa, easy. Take it easy." Freeing one hand, he reached out and grabbed another facecloth, turning on the taps again and wetting it with warm water. Coping her gesture from before, he rose the cloth and wiped it across her face, slowly cleaning every inch of skin on her face, the gesture clearly relaxing her. "Don, what the hell's wrong wit them?" 

"Shock, I think," the other turtle frowned as he swept Alex into his arms and stood. "It's not overly serious, just shock from the fright. Cassie's probably just drained from the adrenaline rush." 

"Okaaay. So what do we do?" 

Don looked down at Alex as she wound her arms around his neck and snuggled close and sighed at the sight. "Let's bring them to the infirmary and go from there. Damn, and they were doing so well...." 

"Worry 'bout that later. Fix them now." Shifting, Raph lifted Cassie into his arms and followed Don back to the infirmary, ignoring the looks from the others as he kicked the door shut behind them. As Donnie lay Alex on the bed, he carefully set Cass onto her feet, then wrapped his arms around her waist, his anger at Casey's stupidity moving to the nether regions of his mind as she tucked her head under his chin and clung to him. "Cass?" 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shivering. "I'm sorry. I just.... Can you just hold me?" 

He sighed and hugged her to him, feeling her arms slip around him in return as she buried her face against his left shoulder, her entire body shivering, though he knew it wasn't from the cold. Donnie held a glass and a couple of pills out to him then, and he gently nudged Cassie before pulling away just enough for him to grab the glass and pills. "Here, take these." He helped her drink the water when he realised that she was shaking too hard to hold the glass, then handed it back to his brother when she was finished. "C'mon and sit down." 

She let him guide her over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, never releasing his right hand, and she was relieved that he didn't try to pull away. Instead, he crouched down next to her and rested his other hand on top of hers, his attention darting between her and Donnie as he cradled Alex's head and shoulders in one arm and coaxed her to swallow some pills along with some water. "W-what are those?" 

"Sedatives," Don told her. "To help you two calm down." He grabbed a pen light and walked back over to her. "Here, look at me, I need to see your eyes." 

She grimaced but let him shine the light in her eyes, blinking to rid herself of the dancing spots that were left behind when he hummed and clicked the light off. "What?" 

"Nothing. Just what I thought. You and Alex will be fine, okay? You just need to rest." He sighed and looked at Raphael. "I should go check on Casey, I suppose." 

"Leave 'im," Raph growled, rising to put an arm around Cassie to pull her against his side, feeling her rest her head on his shoulder again as he looked over at the curled up form on the bed, her face hidden by her hair as she hugged the pillow to herself. "You sure the pipsqueak's okay?" 

"Yeah. Though I wouldn't leave her alone. Or Cassie for that matter." 

"Okay. Look, watch over them for a minute. I'm gonna take care of something." 

"Don't kill, Casey." 

Raph frowned and rested a hand on a sai. "I ain't promisin' nothin'." 

"Smack him one for me," Cassie said weakly as she scooted back on the bed until her back touched the wall, leaving her sitting perpendicular to Alex. 

He smirked and nodded. "Sure thing, babe." 

Donnie smiled a little and looked from Alex to Cassie. "Do you two need anything? Is there anything I can do?" 

"No," Cassie murmured, shaking her head slightly. "No. I'm alright, and Alex will be okay by tomorrow, she just needs to sleep." 

He shot her a doubting look but didn't press the matter. "Alright." There were loud mutterings from the livingroom that slowly grew in venemence, and he sighed as he headed for the door. "I'll be right back. I just need to make sure no one kills each other out there." 

Cassie nodded and waited until he had left and closed the door behind him before moving to sit on the floor at the head of the cot, resting her arms on the bed as she lay her head down close to her sister, one hand lightly stroking the long auburn locks. It didn't surprise her that Alex was already asleep, she herself was already fighting the effects of the sedative, wanting to stay awake and aware of her surroundings while her little sister slept. 

Even while her body fought the sedatives, her mind raced and she cursed both herself and her father for her reactions to Alex's scream. Even now, with considerable miles between them, he _still_ had a hold over them, and it infuriated her. They had been conditioned to fear him, and no matter how much she and her sister tried, they couldn't escape that conditioning, or even overcome it. It all seemed so futile, so pointless, and it brought hot angry tears to her eyes the more she thought about it. No matter where they went, or who they were around, that fear, those damned _memories_ would always be there, always knawing at their thoughts, always whispering fears into their ears, rendering them afraid and suspicious of everyone they were around, until, ultimately, they would be unable to trust anyone, unable to have friends or live anything akin to a normal life. 

And she hated Murdock for that. Even if she knew hate stemmed from fear, she still hated him with every fiber of her being. 

Lost, confused and afraid, the only thing left to her were her tears and her shattered dreams. And she folded under the weight of it, burying her face in her arms and letting her tears fall, the only sound in the room the steady breathing of her little sister, who was just as trapped in her emotions as she was. 

So soft was the sound of the door opening that she wasn't even aware that she wasn't alone in her torment. It was only when a hand landed on her shoulder that she reacted, gasping in quiet surprise as she recoiled from an expected threat, her eyes widening as she stared at the form in the darkness. It took her mind a full twenty seconds before she recognised Splinter, and another ten for her to force herself out of her terror. "S-Splinter. What a-are you doing here?" 

The elder moved to sit on a chair and folded his hands on his lap, looking at her in deepset worry. "Raphael has told me what happened. Are you and Alexis unharmed? I saw that you dealt with Casey." 

Cassie sent a glance at the sleeping Alex then shrugged and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs to hug herself. "What do you want me to tell you?" she whispered. "No matter where we go or who's around us Murdock still has his hooks in us. We're just shattered and afraid versions of what we're supposed to be. I'm tired of this, Splinter. I can't win, and I can't live like this.... so what's left?" 

The last sounded so lost, so much like a tear filled plea that he found himself ignoring his aches and moving to sit lotus style on the floor across from her, leaving his walking stick next to him as he lay a hand on her hair for a moment before cupping her chin in his hand and gently forcing her to raise her head to meet his gaze. "You must not lose hope, child. You must not lose faith in yourself, or in your sister. You have survived against horrifying odds. The healing of your scars, both external and internal will take time." 

"I can't last that long," she murmured. "I can't live my life being afraid of everything and everyone. It's killing me." 

"You do not fear my sons and I," he pointed out, lighty raking his hand through her hair, seeing that the motion seemed to calm her. "We can only help you confront your inner demons if you let us, my child. We will help you in any way we can, if given the chance." 

"I don't know...." 

"This is not something you can hope to conquer yourself, Cassandra. You cannot continue to hold Alex's burden and your own on your shoulders forever. That, I can promise you, will break you." He paused as she trembled and hid her face in her arms, his heart heavy with sympathy and worry for her as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Such sorrow, such pain, was never meant to be dealt with alone. Please, my child, let us help you. I do not wish to watch my daughters fade away." 

_That_ got her attention, and she jerked her head up to stare at him in badly veiled shock, rising a hand to wipe the moisture off her cheeks as she shivered. "W-what did you call me?" 

"My daughter. Both you and Alexis have become a part of this family, and you continue to become a greater part of it as each day passes. You cannot believe that we would let you continue to bear such a burdon on your own. Your distress is obvious to us, Cassandra, can you not see that? Can you not see that despite his wariness of showing emotion that Raphael strives to help you, even if it is in the smallest way?" 

"I.... I don't know...." she whispered, glancing away. "Trust.... I don't know if I'm capable of that anymore.... I've been betrayed so many times." 

"Is that how you wish to lead your life then? Always holding people at arms length? Always being afraid?" 

"No! No...." 

"Then let us in. Let us help you, my daughter." 

She shivered at the term and closed her eyes as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks, only looking at Splinter again when a furred finger brushed her tears away, the gesture so tender that she couldn't help but bury her face in her hands and sob, letting the elder sensei pull her unresisting form into his arms, his hold strong and protective as she cried. 

The four turtles gathered at the doorway at the sound of her tears, their gazes all somber and worried as they watched her pain unfold, none of them immune to the sobs and mumbled pleas for help. A shared thought spread through them however, speaking through glances as they all renewed their previous vows to protect these two wayward souls, in any and every way possible. 

And had Murdock seen the look in Raphael's gaze, the man would have died six times before his body would have hit the floor.   
  
  
  


TBC 


	13. Truths

**To whom it may concern.**

Yes, we're back. Tentatively. I personally trust about as far as I can throw a Volvo, but fans of these fics have asked that I continue to update here on However, this will not be the main place to find our fics. We will always update our Message Board waay before we even think about And if deletes any more of our fics without due cause and without explaination, we're gone.

Lashana Inferno

Cassie frowned as she stared down into the cup of tea that had been placed in front of her, not really knowing what to do or say as Splinter and the turtles joined her, arranging themselves around the livingroom as she sat on the couch, Raphael and Michelangelo sitting on either side of her. "I don't know what you expect me to say," she muttered as she tucked her hair behind her right ear then returned her hands to the mug of tea, warming her suddenly cold fingers. April and Casey had left long ago, and she was rather glad of that, not wanting to have to deal with Casey or any other person that would make this conversation any harder.

"Say anything," Leo answered gently from where he was sitting on the floor at the coffee table, facing the couch.

"Tell us about yer mom," Raph interupted, drawing her wide eyed gaze. He winced at the surprise and fear in her eyes, and sighed. "I heard ya talkin' with Alex."

"That was a private conversation," she whispered with a frown.

"It ain't private if it means that yer gonna risk yer life," he retorted angrily. "We're the one bustin' our shells tryin' ta keep ya safe, we deserve ta know what the hell's goin' on!"

Splinter frowned at his sons tone. "Raphael." That one stern word made silence fall over the small gathering, and the one being reprimanded shifted irritably on the couch, but didn't protest. "Cassandra, what haven't you told us?"

She frowned into her cup for a moment, then set it down on the coffee table and shifted on the couch, very aware that she had everyone's gazes on her. "W-when Alex an I planned to run away, we knew that we couldn't get our mother out of there so once I would get Alex to a safe place, I was going to go back for her."

"And you're still gonna go?" Mikey frowned.

"That's why you started working out again," Leo realised. "Because you were planning on going back."

"Yeah well, mom's trapped there too," Cassie told them as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Alex an I weren't the only ones Murdock liked going after."

"There's no way yer goin'," Raphael sighed as he ran a hand over his face.

She glared at him. "You are in no position to order me around," she growled. "If I could escape Murdocks place, I sure as hell could get out of this hole to go get my mom!"

"Oh yeah?" he yelled back, eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? An how're ya gonna get past all'a Murdocks goons that're searchin' the sewers, huh? Last time, ya didn't do all that well!"

That made her pause. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, well, what ya don't know'll get ya killed!"

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Leo cried, exchanging glares with Raphael as the red banded turtle growled under his breath and drew a sai, spinning it in his right hand haphazardly. "Now, Cassie, you can't just go wandering around the sewers. What Raph said is true, you'll get caught, and if we don't know where they're gonna take you then we can't help you."

"Well, yeah, but we can't just leave their mum there," Mikey said. "I mean, if he's treating her the same way then..."

"Mikey's right," Don agreed. "We can't just leave her there."

"We're not going to," Leo frowned, meeting Cassie's surprised gaze evenly. "You're going to have to tell us everything you know about that mansion, along with directions on how to get there."

She frowned. "There is no way that you lot are going without me. No way in hell."

"Well there's no way you're coming with us!" Raph shot back.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cassie drawled. "Look, there's no way I can tell you _everything_ about that place. There's just too much. And do you really think my mother will just happily go with you? And what if you get found out, how are you gonna know which places are safest to hide? Which hallways and rooms you can use as cover and which are dead ends? Or where the guards patrol and the passcodes into the house which won't set off the alarm? Alex and I spent _years_ cracking the codes and learning the workings of that place, we tried to escape six times before we finally succeeded! This isn't something that can be easily passed on!"

Mike sighed and rested a hand on Cassie's shoulder as she cut herself off with an angry growl and gave her a gentle squeeze to try to calm her. "Leo, I hate to say it, but she's got a point."

"The hell she does!"

Cassie glared at Raphael and snarled. "I hope you get lockjaw and need to vomit," she said venomously, dimly aware of Mikey's grimace of disgust as she shot to her feet and stalked back to the infirmary, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Smooth, Raph," Leo sighed, shaking his head. "Whether we like it or not, she's going to go through with this with or without us. Given the choice, don't you think it'd be safer if we go with her?"

"Well, yeah, but we can't risk her getting hurt," Donnie countered. "Remember, Leo, she's gonna be going back to the place where she was technically tortured for her entire life. We can't forget that. It'll be hell on her psyche."

"And I hate to say this," Mike added, glancing at the angry sulking turtle next to him. "But what if... what if her Mum's dead?"

"I do not think we should dwell on that. Alive or dead, it does not change the fact that Cassandra will go on her own whether we like it or not," Splinter sighed, raisng a hand to massage his temple for a moment before lowering his hand once again. "Given the circumstances and her current mindset, I would rather not see her go alone. But this is something very important to both of them. Knowing that they had to leave their mother behind in order to save themselves must have been a terrible choice for them to make. Alive or not, they need, no, they have a _right_ to know."

Groaning in mixed disgust and exasperation, Raphael got to his feet and stomped over to the infirmary, not even bothering to knock as he let himself in and kicked the door shut behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but once it had he could clearly make out Cassie's form where she sat on the bed, her gaze on her sleeping younger sister. "Look--"

"No," she said sternly, turning her head to glare at him for a moment before returning her gaze to her sister. "You look. All I have is, Alex. And God knows I'm not good role model material. She needs more than I can give. She needs her mother."

"An what about you?" he countered, his voice more or less amiciable.

"Doesn't matter."

"Bull_shit!_"

"Raph..."

"Nuh-uh, Cass. Don't pull this shit with me. Yer willin' ta risk yer life for what? Fer Alex, yeah, I can understand that, but there's limits--"

"No. No limits. Not for her."

"So the only reason yer goin' back fer yer mum is fer Alex?"

"Yes. Because I gave my word to her."

"And that's it?"

"What are you digging for, Raph? A heartfelt 'I miss my mother' routine? Believe me, I may miss her, and I may want her safe, but I really don't want to go back there. The chance that..." she paused and swallowed thickly. "The chance that she's alive..."

He sighed and went to crouch near her, reaching out to rest a hand over hers. "You stick near me when we go, a'right?"

"Why do you care?" she asked suddenly, visibly surprising him. "Is it just pity? If not, then why me? Surely there's someone better, someone who's still... intact."

"What?" He frowned and pulled away from her, folding his arms over his chest as he stood and looked away from her, suddenly uncomfortable with the change in conversation. "Aw hell, Cass, it ain't pity. I jus... don't wanna see ya hurt, y'know?"

"And that's it?"

He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed heavily. "Cass..."

"Nevermind," she mumbled, looking away from him. "It's stupid."

"Naw, it ain't stupid. Cass, I... yer just different. I _like_ ya, and that goes against my reputation of dislikin' _everyone._ I don't wanna see ya hurtin', and I don't want anyone else ta talk with at midnight. Yer special... so enough of that pity shit, okay?"

She looked at him then, startled, and she met his gaze in quiet wonder, caught unawares at the emotion she saw in his eyes. "O-okay."

"Good. Okay. So... you gonna come back out? Or are ya gonna stay with sleepin' beauty there?" He smirked and jabbed a thumb at Alex, who chose that moment to let out a low snore, and he chuckled when Cassie grimaced at the sound of it. "C'mon, I'll split a beer wit ya."

"Yeah, okay," she relented, letting him pull her to her feet before he led her out of the infirmary. She balked when she saw the other three turtles still in the livingroom, all of them now staring at her, only Raph's grip on her hand didn't allow her to stop. "Um... sorry?"

"Nah, it's okay," Mikey said, noticing her unease. "Anyone who can get away with yellin' at Raph like that is more than welcome here!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Mikey, give it a rest. You okay, Cassie?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she answered as Raph released her hand and went into the kitchen, leaving her to sit on the couch next to Mike. "I didn't mean to--"

"No, it's alright." Leo cut her off and rose a hand. "It's okay."

Donnie rested an elbow on his thigh as he leaned forward on his chair. "We're going with you, to the mansion. If you can put up with Casey Jones, we're gonna get him to drive us in his van, it'll be tight quarters though. The only thing we need is a departure time."

"You're leaving that up to me?" she asked in surprise, blinking when the trio nodded. "Well, um... I think we should wait to break into the mansion until friday night. Murdock's never home friday nights, he usually has meetings with his associates. They meet at a bar in Jersey till around midnight. We'd have to leave early afternoon on friday to get there at sunset."

Leo hummed thoughtfully and tapped a finger against his chin. "Can you highlight the roads to take on a map?"

"Yeah. No problem. There's a few backroads that not many people know if that I can show you too."

"Okay. Good. It's..." The turtle in blue looked around for a clock. "Just past six. We have all of tomorrow to prepare for this. That sound reasonable?"

"Yeah, Leo. Give us a break already," Raphael growled as he rejoined them, vaulting over the back of the couch to land heavily next to Cassie, who yelped in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"Alright, alright," Leonardo sighed, raising a hand to massage his aching temple. "I'll go tell Master Splinter about this."

"You do that," Raph muttered as he used a sai to rip the top off the beer bottle, taking a swig of it before handing it to Cassie. "Savour it. It's the last one."

"Sooo..." Mikey looked at the two with raised eyeridges, hoping for an answer. When neither Cassie or Raph said anything, he shrugged and turned to rifle through a box of videos until he pulled out one of his new movies. "Movie anyone? It's 'Signs', with Mel Gibson."

Cassie finished her guzzle and handed the bottle back to Raph. "I don't really care either way."

Mikey glanced at Donnie, who shook his head and got up to head for his lab, then at Raph, who shrugged. "Yes! I'll get the junk food!"

"So," Raph muttered as he lightly slapped a hand against Cassie's right knee. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Considering. I just..." she trailed off and made a vague gesture, as if to try to snatch the rest of the sentence from thin air.

"Yeah. I know. We're okay?"

"Yeah. We're okay."

"Good." He passed the bottle back to her, then looked down at his lap when a bowl of popcorn landed there. "Thanks Mikey."

"No prob!" Grinning, the turtle in orange shoved the video into the VCR, then dropped down onto the couch next to Cassie as she handed the beer back to Raph, and he licked his lips as he tore open a large bag of Spicy Doritos. "Who's got the control?"

Cassie grimaced as something jabbed her in the thigh and wriggled around until she could shove a hand under the couch cushion, grimacing as she pulled out the remote and an old lollypop. "This... is disgusting."

"I was looking for that!" Mikey beamed, reaching over to snatch the lollypop out of her hand and then sticking the sweet into his mouth.

Cassie shuddered and shrank closer to Raph. "I take it back. _That_ is _way more_ disgusting."

Mikey frowned and looked over at her, the stick of the lollypop resting on his lips. "What?"

She looked at Raph and held out a hand. "Beer me."

"Way ahead of you," he muttered as he handed the bottle to her, taking the opportunity to shove a fistful of popcorn into his mouth as the movie's opening credits rolled past the screen.

They spent the movie in relative silence, though Raphael found an added bonus in this movie as, everytime Cassie got startled or frightened, she curled up close to him. By the end of it, he had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and she was resting her head against his shoulder, and as the movie hit it's climactic ending, he felt her jump in fear, her fingers curling around the top of his plastron as she clung to him, and he allowed himself a slight smirk, enjoying this turn in events.

"I may never sleep again," she moaned as Mikey popped the tape out of the VCR.

"Aw, c'mon, it's not that bad," Mikey smirked as he looked over at her, rolling his eyes when she hugged herself. "Alright fine. No more alien movies. How about Daredevil?"

"S'fine," Raph yawned as he tossed his empty popcorn bowl over his shoulder, letting it drop to the floor. Cassie shifted then, and he eyed her curiously as she moved so that she was leaning back against his side, her hair tickling his arm as she settled herself again, and he smirked as he rested his arm along the back of the couch, still touching her but not pushing their closeness barrier. He knew better than to push her right now. She was still too afraid, too hurt. "Comfy?"

A faint blush spread over her cheeks. "Yeah. Um, thanks."

This time, however, she didn't even make it halfway through the movie, and Raphael soon found himself being used as an impromtu pillow as she rested her head back against his chest and slept, her breathing strong and even. Being careful not to wake her, he gently lowered her so that she was lying across his lap, her head resting on the arm of the couch as he grabbed a throw blanket and draped it over her. A low whistle drew his gaze to Mikey, and he glared when he saw the kissy face his brother was making. "_Mike..._"

"What?" Wide innocent brown eyes blinked at him. The act would have worked better had he not been grinning like a fool.

Growling, Raph swatted at him half-heartedly, then settled back, resting his left arm along the back of the couch while his right hand lightly stroked Cassie's tri-coloured hair, his gaze softening as he looked down at her.

"Y'know, I'll never get why she's into you," Mike mumbled in between handfuls of candy corn. "Mr. Sulking and Gloom."

There was an exasperated sigh. "Leave it be, Mike."

"I mean, the first impression you made wasn't all that pristine, and lord knows your _manners_ are--"

"_Mike!_" Raph hissed the name between his teeth, then shot a glance down at Cassie to make sure they hadn't woken her. "Drop. It. Because if you wake her..."

Michelangelo sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I just wish that, y'know. I could find someone."

Sighing, Raph ran a hand over his face. "Ya will, bro. Just... give it time. Okay? Now watch the movie." He looked down at Cassie again and sighed, softly this time. _I don't get why she likes me either, bro..._


End file.
